


A Warm Winter

by Lyswenn



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-04-13 07:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4513518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyswenn/pseuds/Lyswenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weiss Schnee discovers a new side of Ruby Rose. A more mature, artistic side of her. Weiss then has to learn how to deal with the feelings emerging inside of her. White Rose, fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What you ignore

Winter had claimed its reign on Vale City. Snow was falling upon Beacon Academy, and students took a habit of rubbing their hands together, as they were looking for any kind of heat.

Inside Team RWBY dorms, Weiss Schnee was sitting by her desk, reading through some notes she had taken during the previous courses, with the help of a hot cup of coffee. She was alone. This was strangely not unusual, as she spent less and less time with her teammates, afraid their recklessness would rub on her. It was about five in the afternoon, and she just assumed they were hanging around.

_Geez, how can they be so carefree? If our team gets badly ranked because of their ignorance, I swear they will never see the end of their punishment._

Just as she was wondering what sort of ruthless torture she could inflict them, she heard the sound of the door opening, followed by the sound of an overly excited 15-year-old leader. Weiss saw the red hooded girl followed by a laughing brawler and a rather calm Faunus.

 _Why so loud?_ Weiss thought, desperate. _Farewell, dear quietness._

She exchanged a brief look with Blake. A compassionate, sorry look that could only say "I'm so sorry we ended up with these clowns". As hard it was for Weiss to accept her teammate's Faunus heritage, she still had to admit the raven haired girl was the easiest to be around. At least she was not constantly making horrible jokes or stuffing her mouth up with some unhealthy junk food.

"Oh, Weiss, we were looking for you," Ruby said with a surprisingly calm voice. Probably as quiet as Ruby could.

"Where else would I be?" Weiss answered with a sharp tone.

"Ah, mh, that's true..."

Ruby started staring directly at her feet, as a slight brush painted her face. She never knew how to react to Weiss's harsh comments, and she surely could not face them. After all, she was still a little girl, who obviously had a lot of issues dealing with other people. The heiress noticed her discomfort, but decided to brush it off, as she would never apologize to anyone for her behavior.

"So, why were you looking for me?" she asked.

"Oh, right, well, um... do you know that small music school in the Valley district?"

Weiss nodded, but she had no idea where her leader was getting at. She had a very low interest in music, and would never picture the hyperactive kid anywhere near it.

"Would you like to go to a small concert there? Next Friday?" Ruby finally asked. "You won't have to pay, though, don't worry about that", she quickly added.

"Why would I want to see a concert I know nothing about?"

"Well, I will be singing, so... I thought... maybe you would come... there won't be many people... it's a... private concert, I guess? but there will be coffee and... you know..."

It took a little time for Weiss to connect the dots. "Wait, you take singing lessons? Since when?"

"Uh, about a year or two, I guess? You didn't know?"

Weiss decided to ignore this futile question. She could see the disappointment in Ruby's eyes. So far, the white-haired girl had only been supporting Ruby with her fighting skills and her studies, but she had never bothered hanging out with her partner, as she had no interests for anything besides grades.

"So... will you come?" Yang asked when she noticed how uneasy Ruby felt.

She sighed. "I guess I have no choice. I will attend this... event."

Ruby suddenly came back to her over excited self, she squealed and jumped to hug Weiss, but the latter stepped back, hands over her chest in a "you're definitely too close" way. She was not really acquainted with these sort of signs of affection, and felt terribly uncomfortable touching someone else, let alone when _someone_ was touching _her_.

She already regretted accepting.

Friday seemed to come faster than it should. The team headed to the dorms right after class, which felt rather unusual for Weiss. She could barely see her leader shaking, from the corner of her eye. Even though the icy girl would never dare show some compassion to someone, she actually felt a little nervous for the red little-hooded girl. Yang was trying to get Ruby to relax, with the unstoppable power of her ridiculous jokes. Blake just gave her a smile, and let her hand lay on her should.

The room was only filled with Yang's voice. Out of the blue, she stood up, clapped her hands.

"A'right gals, it's time to go! Don't worry baby sis, I'm sure everything will go smoothly", she yelled, emphasizing on the last word.

The music school was not far from Beacon Academy, but every step forward felt like an enormous effort for Ruby. Both her anxiety and the freezing cold outside were almost paralyzing her, but she kept walking, alongside Weiss, while Yang and Blake were just behind, following them.

"Stop biting your lip", Weiss said suddenly.

"But I'm so nervous..." she answered, breathing in her hands, as she tried to fill her lungs with some warm air.

The heiress could only deduct it was her first time singing in front of others, so it would be only natural for her to be this nervous.

"There is no reason to be nervous", Weiss tried. "Well, if you rehearsed enough" she added, as she did not really appreciate the idea Ruby wasted her time to learn a song instead of studying.

"I did..."

It was as much as Weiss could offer, but it was enough to calm Ruby down. At least until they arrived.

It was indeed a very small, modest place. A few doors could be seen, and Weiss just assumed they led to rooms where they could teach different musical instruments. The hall was probably the largest room but seemed smaller than it actually was, due to the numbers of chairs scattered all around. A few instruments laid in the back, with a tiny free space, presumed to be meant for the singers. The place was getting a bit more cramped by the minute, as people kept getting inside. Weiss noticed a coffee machine not so far. _Ah, yes, she did mention coffees._ She went to have some, while she could still overhear Blake talking to Ruby.

"It will be alright", she said. "Just don't forget your lines, and you should be fine."

Ruby seemed panicked and quickly grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket. She read it about three times before nodding. "I know them."

Weiss walked back to them, holding a hot cup of coffee in her hand. "What are you going to sing?"

"Oh... you don't know it. It's a song that I wrote", Ruby answered nervously.

"You write _and_ sing?" the heiress asked, surprised at Ruby's interest in artistic activities. Though she still needed to see what it was worth.

"Well, Blake helped me a lot", she specified, as Blake nodded. "I really don't have much to sing, though..."

"Then don't feel so nervous. It will be over soon."

"But I'm so scared I will screw it up!"

"I thought you were a fearless leader."

For the first time in a while, a faint smile appeared on Weiss's lips. She quickly erased it as she saw Ruby staring in shock.

"You should smile more, you know."

"What in the world are you-"

"Ruby, you're up", a teenage boy said, interrupting.

She nodded and walked away. People suddenly stopped talking as they noticed the little commotion in the back of the room, where Ruby was standing, next to the same teenage boy that appeared earlier and another unknown girl, the three of them holding a microphone. People decided to sit, facing them.

"C'mon, let's try to find a good place", Yang told the rest of the team.

They sat in the second row since the first one was already full. They stared at their leader as if they were trying to give her some confidence through their gazes. Ruby seemed to notice, as she suddenly started talking.

"Um, hello, everyone. The name's Ruby Rose, leader of the mighty team RWBY", a few people laughed while her team smiled. "This is my first time singing here so... I hope it won't be too bad!" she paused. "Oh and thank you all for coming all the way here!" she added, glancing at Weiss.

The other two singers also made a little introducing speech, before they backed away, looked right at the musicians who nodded. The room grew silent. And the song started.

Ruby's voice was only accompanying the other singers, but Yang still seemed overexcited and proud, as she was probably the only one who had heard her sister's voice. Blake was nodding mysteriously as if she was making sure none of the singers made a mistake on the song she partially wrote. Weiss was at loss, she could not distinguish Ruby's voice from the other girl's. She absolutely had no idea what was happening, and just as she tried to focus on the lyrics, a guitar solo came in the middle of the song. Even though Weiss thought it was way too loud for her ears to handle, she surprisingly enjoyed it.

Ruby was standing awkwardly since she had no idea what to do with her body while her mouth remained shut. She glanced at her partner a second time but ended up staring at her, looking for some kind of approval. Weiss felt her heart cringe. Her leader, who usually was so confident, too confident, was now staring at her, trying to detect any form of opinion in her facial expression. Weiss had no idea what to do, she did not pay that much attention to the lyrics, she did not know whether or not Ruby made a mistake, and she could not even hear her voice well. Her knowledge on the matter seemed so small next to Blake's or Yang's and she...

_"There's a moment that changes a life when we do something that no one else can."_

A voice reached her ears, one she had not heard yet. She only realized now that her mind had run away for a few seconds. She only realized now that the guitar solo had ended, and the song just kept going. She only realized now that the voice she heard belonged to Ruby.

_"There's a moment we make a decision not to cower and crash on the ground."_

And just as she cursed herself for not paying much attention to Ruby's singing, the young leader kept going, and Weiss could now fully hear her voice. It sounded more mature than Weiss could have ever expected, and the words she sang were worthy of a great writer.

_"I may fall, but not like this, it won't be by your hand."_

She could feel ambition, obstinacy, pugnacity in Ruby's melody. She had never felt anything while listening to the few songs her mother made her listen to.

_"I may fall, not this place, not today."_

Ruby was giving it her all, her previous nervousness flying away along with her singing words.

_"I may fall, bring it all it's not enough to take me down."_

Some sort of strength ran through the heiress's veins, she felt the urge to stand up and yell, just yell, something, anything. But she was used to containing her needs and desires.

_"I may fall."_

She surprised herself as she heard her own voice singing alone these three small words. She quickly turned around and sighed in relief when she noticed Yang and Blake applauding, too busy feeling proud of their leader to hear Weiss. She stood up as well and started clapping.

The emotions she had just experienced, for the first time, on this precise evening, were worth any walk under the freezing snow, any quarrel with her dim-witted leader, and any missed sessions of study.


	2. Mixed Feelings

As the shattered moon was hung up in the dark sky, team RWBY was heading back to their dorm. A few hours had passed since Ruby's performance, and they all decided to stay to watch other novice singers. More exactly, Ruby wanted to stay, Yang felt too proud to leave her sister, Blake was curious about other songs and Weiss... she was not precisely sure why she stayed.

Something about this evening seemed terribly wrong. But at the same time, a part of it seemed awfully right to her. And she could get her hands on neither of them. Her feelings laid confused, and the heiress did not dare say any word for the rest of the evening. She barely gave attention to the other performances, her mind going back and forth between reality and the experience she had just lived, the trip lasting fairly longer on the other side of the world.

Ruby, on the other hand, just regained her old self. All the nervousness she collected prior to the evening just ran away, and she was back being the 15-year-old hyperactive girl that her teammates were doomed to have as a leader. She took some sort of pride in her singing performance, but most of all, she felt like a heavy burden just fell from her shoulders to the ground, leaving her free to run around, which is what she did. During the short journey to their dorms, Ruby kept making circles around her teammates, re-analyzing every singer they had heard, gossiping about some of them, talking about her desire to sing her own song someday. Yang was basically the only person capable of holding a true conversation with her, as they were the two most talkative members of the team.

They soon arrived at their final destination, and just as they stepped into their dorms, Blake let out a light yawn, but clear enough for Yang to notice.

"Ow, baby Blakey is tired already?" she said jokingly.

"Your voice is way too loud, it's exhausting", the Faunus quickly talked back.

"Uh. That hurts."

Blake gave her a quick grin before Ruby interrupted them.

"But, it's only eight, and we haven't eaten yet".

"Sorry, you three just get something to eat, I'll head to bed right away", she answered, her sentence being cut by another small yawn.

She did not give them any time to answer as she rushed under her fresh covers, totally ignoring Ruby's sad look.

_Were we bothering her? She could have told us..._

"Well then", Yang shouted, in an attempt to annoy Blake and cheer Ruby at the same time. "It's Friday, so I guess the cafeteria is still open. Why not grab something there?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan." Ruby said.

She turned around to Weiss, but the latter seemed lost in thought once again. Ruby noticed it had happened quite a lot this last hour, but she did not dare say anything. No matter how hard she tried to get closer to the heiress, every attempt just resulted in rejection and scolding, and even though Ruby promised to herself she would befriend with Weiss, she had to admit she was currently running out of ideas.

_Maybe she really doesn't like me... there's no way I could force her..._

"Weiss, you coming with us?" Yang asked, fortunately for her sister.

"Mh? Oh, yes, of course. Forgive me", she answered quickly, before heading back to her mysterious side world.

Yang and Ruby exchanged a concerned look before Yang just shrugged and gestured them to follow her out of the room.

As an awkward silence settled between the three of them, the tall brawler led her two teammates to the cafeteria. The place was not as crowded as they expected, as only two teams and a half were eating there.

"I guess most of the students decided to eat later", Ruby said while she was grabbing a ham and cheese sandwich.

"Good for us I guess?" Yang grabbed her chicken sandwich and glanced over Ruby's shoulder only to see Weiss standing a bit further away, staring at a green apple. "What's with her?" she asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. She's been like this for an hour or two now." Ruby said, then shivered. "Do you think she hated the performance?"

"Of course not, you were awesome, don't wo-"

She stopped as she saw Weiss getting closer. The latter finally bought the apple she was staring at a few seconds prior, then she followed her teammates as they all took place around a table, facing the two sisters who were sitting next to each other. The room was only filled with their few schoolmates talking, as they did not find anything interesting to say themselves. Weiss's gaze kept coming back and forth between the fruit she was holding and the concerned leader in front of her. She definitely did not feel hungry, even for the small apple she picked, but she could notice Ruby's worrying for her, and she did not feel like annoying her either.

_Come on Weiss, say something_ , she tried to cheer herself. _You've been awfully quiet, now say something, anything._

"So, what did you think of Ruby's voice? You still haven't told us what you thought", Yang abruptly said.

"Oh, it was nice", she answered simply.

She could not find any other adjective, or more precisely, she restrained herself from doing so. Part of her wanted to thank the blonde girl for breaking the silence, whereas another part of her wanted to slap her for bringing that up. All she really wanted to do, was to forget how affected she got by Ruby's performance. She could not comprehend how it exactly happened, she only knew it did, and she had absolutely no idea what to do with these new feelings.

"You really think so?" Ruby insisted, unconvinced.

Weiss gulped slightly.

"Of course I did, I wouldn't lie about this. I did not expect you to have such a... great voice."

Even though Yang and Ruby both noticed the gap between Weiss's words, neither of them pointed it out, and just attributed it to the heiress's difficulty for giving compliments.

"Thanks a lot, Weiss."

The white haired girl unconsciously nodded, before taking her first bite of the fruit she took. Only then she realized the two of her teammates had finished their sandwiches, and were now staring at her.

"Geez, you two definitely eat way too fast", she commented.

"Nope, you were the slow one", Yang stretched herself, then stood up, up under Ruby's questioning look. "I'm gonna head back, I'm sure my partner misses me a whole lot," Yang said with a light tone of joke in her voice.

"Oh, fine. I'll wait here with Weiss", Ruby answered.

The two remaining girls silently watched the departing one. Once again, Weiss just stumbled in her own mind, between the relief of finally being able to talk privately to Ruby, and the nervousness of actually being alone with her. She felt the urge to tell her young leader about the thoughts she was having, some sort of need to get it all out, mixed with the desire to reassure the small singer who was obviously still concerned by the heiress's opinion. As uncommon as it was for Weiss to talk about her emotions, she, at the moment, did not mind. There was only one tiny, little problem standing in her way - how was she supposed to express her feelings when she actually knew nothing about what was going on inside her? She had no clue how to start but decided she had to do it at some point.

"I really enjoyed it."

She had a small, uncertain voice, which was rather unusual for her. Ruby just stared at her innocently, a startled expression showing on her face.

"Enjoyed what?"

"Your song, you idiot."

"Oh."

The older girl felt disappointed by that short answer but figured the leader could not think of anything else to say. After all, Weiss was not used to talking with sincerity, and the few times she ever did, her interlocutor would feel too uncomfortable to answer anything constructive. However, it took her a fair amount of efforts to bring up this conversation, so she decided to go on.

"I..." she started with a nearly inaudible voice. "I am sorry I wasn't aware you took singing lessons". She paused for a few seconds. "I always thought you were just hanging out after classes, lazing around, and to be honest, I was mad at you for it. And I was even madder to learn you preferred spending your time singing rather than studying."

"Wei-"

"But you really have some talent", she interrupted. "I mean, I wouldn't know, I am far from being an expert at it. But you have a pleasant voice and..."

She paused again. For a longer time, as the feelings, she tried to get across definitely seemed out of place for her to verbalize. But as the young leader got nervous, she decided to just let it happen.

"I'm glad I could hear it."

Ruby's lips grew from one ear to another. Weiss felt her heart cringe once again, but overall, she felt relieved. Even though she could not get a close understanding of what sort of war was taking place inside her mind, she could express herself, and she felt proud, as a teammate, a partner, a person.

"Then I'll work even harder, and I'll sing an even better song to you!" the younger girl said, with her bright smile still on.

"Don't forget your studies, plus we have two exams coming up", Weiss answered, and even though she used a cold tone, she could not help but smile back.

"Gosh Weiss, are you always so serious?"

"Of course. How else would I obtain straight A's? Definitely not by spending my afternoons singing", she teased, taking another bite into her half-finished apple.

"But singing is fun. Like, it really helps relaxing, and no matter how you feel, there is always one song that can, you know, totally express your feelings. That's amazing."

"A song... that totally expresses your feelings?" Weiss repeated slowly.

Ruby slightly regretted making that comment, as she saw Weiss getting back to the other world she already spent so much time in.

"Yes, like, even if the words are not always accurate and all, it just feels so great to sing your emotions! I just love the feeling when I finish a song, like everything just fwooo, flies away, and you feel so light you could fly. It's like you accomplished something, you know, with yourself."

"I... honestly have no idea what you're talking about", she admitted.

"Uh? You've never tried to sing before?"

"Of course not. Why would I? I have barely listened to music before I got to hear you, and those were only a few old classical songs my mother listened to when she was around my age."

Ruby put her hand on her chin and stared at the wall, absently. Her eyes narrowed, as she was looking for an idea deep inside her mind.

"We need a remedy for this."

"A remedy?"

"Definitely. You need to sing, at least once."

Weiss choked on the last remaining bit of her fruit. "No, I don't! Y-You just... no way!"

"C'mon. You need to know this feeling, you'll see, it's really amazing. And I'm sure we'll find some music you'll like!"

"Show me your music, or whatever, but as long as I am called a Schnee, there is no way in this world I will ever sing."

"But why not?"

_Oh no, not the puppy eyes. Not the- goddammit, Ruby._

"Because it is too embarrassing. Unlike you, I have never once taken a singing course, and I will probably just mess it up, which is not something I desire, not in front of you."

"Everyone has to start at some point."

"I'm afraid to figure out what you meant."

Ruby stood up, walked over Weiss and put an arm around her.

"From now on, I will be your private singing teacher!"


	3. A comforting cocoon

"So, how should we start?"

"You're the one who suggested this crazy idea, so I'll let you figure it out on your own."

"Pfft."

Ruby obviously had not thought on the matter enough, despite her previous fervor. She and Weiss were both standing in a music room, next to where Ruby performed two days prior. Standing. Awkwardly.

"Okay. So, um, do you have any idea what kind of music you like?" Ruby asked.

"I told you. The only songs I have ever listened to where my mother's, which I did not particularly enjoy."

"But you enjoyed my song, right?" Ruby insisted, her eyes filling with hope.

There was a short silence during which Weiss pondered the reason why she actually agreed to come. Not that she had a choice in the first place, her leader just dragged her all the way to the music school, not concerned in the slightest by the heiress's protests.  
She brought her fingers to her nose, pinched the bridge of it and closed her eyes.

"I guess I did."

She sighed. _Which I still don't quite understand_ , she thought.

The younger girl's lips turned into a small smile and her cheeks grew a faint pink, as she walked over a shelf, standing proudly at the other end of the room. Ruby then pulled out a drawer and started looking through it.

"Why isn't anybody here?" Weiss asked as she impatiently waited for Ruby to find whatever she was looking for.

"Only a few music teachers give classes on Sunday. Mine doesn't. They still allow us to come inside freely, in case we want to rehearse, or if we forgot our stuff."

"I could bet you are the kind of student who would forget their stuff, aren't you?"

"Well, it would be kinda hard to forget my vocal cords in a room, don't ya think?" the dark haired girl answered, with a somewhat amused tone.

Weiss did not bother looking for an answer. _Of course_ , she thought, as she cursed herself for making such a silly assumption.

"There it is!" Ruby yelled as she grabbed an album along with a thin stack of paper. "This is one of the album of my favorite artists."

"What makes you think we will share the same tastes?"

"Well, they, um, kind of inspired me for the song I sang Friday. And since you liked it, I thought, that, maybe you would also like them."

"That makes sense, surprisingly."

She was about to ask who the singers were, but did not have the time to, as Ruby jumped to put the disc into a CD player laying right next to the shelf. She clicked here, mumbled a bit, then clicked there, and a song finally started playing.

"Alright, now just sit, listen, and tell me if you like one of these!"

They both sat down silently, next to each other, as the music was filling the room quietly. Weiss was trying to pay as much attention as she possibly could, unsure as to what she was supposed to give attention to exactly. She looked over at Ruby, who was obviously enjoying herself, but neither of them pronounced a single word until the album ended. The young leader then jumped to her feet and walked to face Weiss.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed loudly. "So what did you think?"

"It was... nice." Weiss answered, in a calmer, softer voice.

"Mh. Was there any song that caught your eye? I mean, your ear?"

Weiss decided to politely ignore the young girl's giggles at her own words.

"I enjoyed the one about being lifted up..."

"Oh, _Wings_. It's a nice one, the lyrics are beautiful."

Weiss nodded to this affirmation, a bit doubtful of herself. She would willingly admit the words used carried a comforting warmth, and the melody itself was pleasant. However, she could not deny the song did not make her feel the same emotion she had when Ruby sang _I May Fall_ , and she could not figure what the difference was.

"So, do you want to try and sing it?" she asked cheerfully before the heiress could say anything.

"I told you, I would never si-"

Ruby immediately turned around to walk over the CD player, and the same song played once again. She looked through the stack of paper she had grabbed before and took out one sheet that she gave to Weiss.

"Here are the lyrics."

"Do I need to learn them by heart?"

"Don't worry about that, it will come naturally."

Weiss had to admit her partner was right. Ruby played the song on repeat, and even though the heiress discovered the song less than an hour ago, she could already remember most of the words. She was aware of her incredible memory, but she still felt surprised by her own ability to learn these lyrics and was even more surprised as she caught herself lip syncing. She abruptly took her blue eyes out of the sheet she was reading, in order to put them on Ruby. The latter was smiling widely, as she had been staring at the heiress for the last couple of minutes. She started opening her mouth but did not have the time to say anything as Weiss and her pink-shaded cheeks immediately interrupted her.

"Oh, quiet you."

"But you were so cute wh-"

Her lips were silenced by a pale and warm hand, but Weiss almost instantly withdrew as the blush on her cheeks deepened. No, she definitely was not used to touching other people.

"I said 'quiet'. You're not making this easy for me."

"Alright, sorry, sorry."

Ruby was content. No, she was happy. After months of trying to get closer to her partner, she finally managed to share a common interest with her. No matter how loud Weiss's protests were, Ruby knew she was enjoying herself. She knew that little sparkle in her eyes, this faint smile. _Now I only have to deal with her shyness_ , she thought.

"I think I know the lyrics..." the older girl said with a timid, unsure voice.

 _Exactly what I was talking about_ , Ruby thought.

"Then, are you ready to sing?"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Don't worry, it will be fine! Just sing along, okay?"

She rushed to the CD player and played the song once again, from the beginning, but raised the volume. They had lost count on how many times they had listened to it, but it did not matter in the slightest. She walked back to Weiss and offered her hand, which she reluctantly took to help herself standing up.

"You dunce! There is no way that I can-"

" _One life is not a long time when you're waiting for a small sign._ "

Weiss felt her heart skip a beat. Her partner, teammate, leader, Ruby, was in front of her, singing, in front of her, smiling, in front of her. There was no escape, no possibility to look away or pretend to be unaffected. She could not hide behind a row of strangers, stay silent a whole evening or stare at a green apple just to avoid her gaze.

_"Don't be disappointed, don't let your heart break, don't spend another minute in this way."_

She could tell her that her smile definitely was out of place considering the song, she could tell her that the sound was way too loud and covered her voice, she could tell her the stack of paper was falling onto the floor, and she could even scold her for bringing her here in the first place.

_"It's okay."_

But she did not.

_"Dry your eyes now, baby, broken wings won't hold you down."_

And instead, she just let her own voice rise up, bashfully, full of uncertainty, disregarding the knots forming in her throat and stomach. In that precise moment, her family name, her pride, her cold gaze, her perfect manners seemed to fly away, all of it, vanished, as if it never truly mattered to her.

" _You'll take flight soon, baby, you'll be lifted up and you'll be there._ "

She could barely hear her own voice and did not really care if Ruby could. She actually did not care for anything in this instant, her mind felt too light-headed to process a full creative thought.

" _Aimless on the inside and the damage makes you want to hide._ "

Her confused feelings came back nonetheless. Her legs seemed willing to run out of the room, which would be the only way out for her, so she could forget anything that occurred in this whole hour, so she could act as if she had never shown any sign of weakness.

" _I know that it seems pointless, I know that it feels fake."_

But her young leader's smile forced her to consider the issue. Ruby seemed different. The little girl's cheerfulness and innocence were always present, but she held a maturity that Weiss had only seen when she sang. She somehow remained calm, but she just seemed... happy.

" _I know you can't stand the thought of being stray one more day._ "

She wanted to ask her partner why she felt so happy, but as her mind wandered off, she stumbled upon some words. The little girl facing her paid it no attention. She only sang louder, as if she tried to cover her partner's mistake, and she offered a bright, reassuring smile, one that would say exactly what Weiss wanted to hear. "I'm not judging you."

" _Dry your eyes now, baby, broken wings won't hold you down._ "

Within this room, nothing mattered. As if they were in a parallel universe, and nothing would bother them, not even her ponderous name. She could show weakness because no one was there to judge her. She smiled, internally of course, at the freedom she was currently feeling.

" _You'll take flight soon, baby, you'll be lifted up and you'll be there..._ "

Thus, the song that was surrounding the two girls, ended quietly. As the dark haired girl went to turn the CD player off, the cocoon that was previously comforted the heiress violently broke. While she was singing, she did not care about anything, but now, it was a different matter. She had put her barriers down for a few minutes, and already regretted it.  
Now came the uneasy part. The one where they were supposed to say something or even talk about what just happened. The part that Weiss wanted to avoid, by all mean. She started spinning around, ready to leave, when someone's hand slowly slithered into hers. Ruby's, of course.

"Weiss, wait..."

"What?" she replied dryly.

 _Why am I even bothering with her?_ she wondered. She could just withdraw her hand and walk away as she had originally planned, but her curiosity was boiling inside her. She just stayed there, back to Ruby, staring at the door.

The first words were pronounced, but the hardest was still incoming. "You... you have a really great voice..." the younger girl shyly started. She immediately cursed herself for her inability to find better, more interesting words.

The heiress just shrugged. "How could you even hear? The sound was too loud, I couldn't even get a grip of my own voice. Besides, I wasn't able to focus, as you didn't properly put down the stack of paper, and most of all... this song is highly emotional and you just smiled all the way, as if you didn't even think about what you were singing."

And there went all the critics Ruby expected. _You think this is going to bring me down, princess? You have to try a lot harder than that_ , she thought.

"I know what I was singing, and I know that song is 'highly emotional' as you said. I was just too happy to hear you sing to even care, about the lyrics or the stack of paper. I have great ears, and I could definitely hear your voice, and I maintain that it was beautiful."

She expected Weiss to find a comeback, to find some way to scold her, but it seemed the icy queen had nothing to reply. Ruby was staring at her back when an internal flame vigorously lighted around her chest and sprayed all over her body, down to the tip of her fingers, before a sudden shiver ran through her spine. She just had this impulsion, this need to wrap her arms around her partner's neck and hold her close. The reason why, Ruby could not figure. She had never been fond of physical signs of affection, she just found them awkward, and deeply hated when Yang used them. However, she could not deny hugs were strangely effective in sending your feelings across, but as much as she hated it, she needed to express herself, with words. Besides, she knew the older girl would just push her away, and that simple thought made Ruby fight the urge back. _Still... words..._

"Weiss... I know I shouldn't have brought you out here..." she started, gently squeezing Weiss's hand. "I started regretting when I saw how uncomfortable you were earlier but... when you started to sing... I don't know, you seemed almost relieved. Y'know, you're not the easiest person to have around, and sometimes you can be really..." she sighed. "But it looked like you were enjoying yourself, so I think it was actually a good idea..."

The grip on their hands got firmer, but this time, Ruby was not the one to initiate it. As Weiss remained silent, Ruby continued.

"I really mean it, when I say you have a great voice. To be honest, I was surprised... I know you'd never sung before so I expected you to get everything wrong and all- but that would have been okay, you know, I said I was going to teach you, so, it would've been fine. But you really did great. I mean it."

She heard a faint laughter. An awkward, sarcastic one.

"Did I? I messed the lyrics up."

"Does it really matter?"

She saw Weiss lowering her head, almost shamefully. Ruby could not fight herself anymore, and made a step forward, as she withdrew her hand and joined it with her other one, in front of Weiss. _She smells... good,_ she thought. She gently pressed the slender girl against herself and sighed against her neck, which made the older girl shiver slightly.

"You were good. Don't be so harsh on yourself."

Surprisingly, she did not get rejected. The white haired girl merely did not react, but this was definitely better than what Ruby had expected. She added a bit more pressure on her body.

"Didn't you enjoy it? Even a tiny bit?"

This time, Weiss was the one to sigh.

"I guess..." she started. "It was... rather interesting..."

Before the younger girl could smile and celebrate her victory, Weiss put an end to her satisfaction.

"But you are a miserable teacher. Telling me, out of the blue, to sing, without even giving any advice beforehand, how dared you!"

"I _did_ give you an advice, I told you not to worry!" she defended herself.

"So, basically, you didn't give any advice, as I said."

"Yang always told me that the best way to learn how to swim was to jump into the water."

"Were you trying to drown me?"

"Nope. Most people would struggle to keep their head underneath the water, but you managed to do a perfect crawl."

There was a short, awkward silence before Weiss sighed for the second time.

"Thanks..."

Ruby pulled her arms back and watched the heiress slowly turn around, now facing her. The latter was still fidgeting uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact as best as she could, which only made the leader smile.

"So..." she started, uncertainly. "Will you... 'teach' me again?"

The smile grew larger.

"I don't know, I wouldn't force anything upon my princess. I'll just obey her desire."

Without any proper answer, said princess rolled her eyes before turning back and walking out the room, but that would not take Ruby's smile away.

Finally, after months of efforts, the two of them were getting closer. Even though their exchanges were rather awkward, even though the older girl struggled, to be honest, they were now sharing something, besides sparring and studying.


	4. Your worst enemy

The next three weeks had passed rather peacefully. The leader of the team and her partner had decided to meet up every Sundays and Wednesdays when Ruby was free of her own singing lessons, and Weiss was not busy studying. However, despite the young girl's drastic method of teaching, Weiss had come to realize she was not as annoyed as she would appear to be. Or to put it in simpler words - she was enjoying it, but the gap between realization and acceptance seemed to grow larger and larger with each day spent by Ruby's side. Thanks to their "new musical bonding sessions", as the hooded girl liked to call it, the two of them had started spending a lot more time together, beyond studying, sparring and now singing.

It was Tuesday in the late afternoon, the sun was starting to fade, leaving an orange tainted sky on its way down the other side of the planet. Its departure caused the students to consume incredible amounts of hot drinks, trying to dismiss the freezing cold running through their bodies.

Weiss entered the dorms only to find Ruby sitting on her bed, her brows furrowing over narrowed eyes, staring at a single sheet of paper, pencil firmly in hand, her incisor slightly covering the right side of her lower lip. Such a serious facial expression was rarely seen on the young leader's features, and Weiss was so shocked by the sight it actually took her a couple of minutes to notice Blake was also present in the room. The latter was lying on her bed, quiet as ever while her amber eyes flew through the pages of a rather old thick book. More concerned about her partner, the heiress walked towards her, her eyes glaring at the paper balls surrounding the younger girl.

"Ruby?"

"Mh?" she answered, her eyes still firmly set at the end of her pencil.

"What are you doing?"

The little girl abruptly lifted her head up, her gaze meeting her partner's. "Weiss! Sorry, I didn't see you were there..."

"Yeah, I noticed." she answered coldly. "What are you so serious about?"

"I'm trying to write a song... but I can't seem the get the words right. I mean, I have them but I can't write them down, it's like something always get lost between my thoughts and my pen..."

Weiss raised a curious eyebrow, worried her leader might be insane, when Blake finally interfered, without breaking contact with her apparently captivating page.

"Do you want me to help?"

"No, I need to do this alone. I'll make it, it just needs some... time."

The younger girl then proceeded to continue her work, and Weiss sighed, seemingly displeased.

"Well, while you are so busy writing, I will study. Good evening, Ruby."

Ruby caught the accusative tone in her voice but decided to ignore her partner. _She is just angry I'm not studying enough for her standards_ , she thought. She entirely missed the true reason behind this harsh tone, and Weiss, in all honesty, was not even sure herself.

She grabbed some textbooks and lied on her own bed, right underneath Ruby's. She rested on her back, her notes by her side, and stared at the top bed. Since her leader was already wearing her pajamas, Weiss could only deduct the younger girl had no intent of going out. _She doesn't even care_. Her heart skipped a beat, and she did not fail to notice. _She is just writing a song, and it seems important to her. Why would she care about what I do? It doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't care. She is just... busy._

She was intrigued. _I have no reason to believe she doesn't care about me, this is just plain stupid._ Judging wise not to think about this matter too much, she picked up one textbook and started reading through it, even though all the written words just flew out of her mind as soon as they reached her eyes. She could hear the sound of a pencil sliding along a paper, then along what it just wrote, then a paper getting violently crushed in what could be a small hand. Weiss could feel Blake glaring at her, but decided to simply ignore that fact, as the opposite would lead to further interrogations and awkward situations.

A part of her was impatient to read or hear this song Ruby was so worked up about. This mere thought was not what Weiss was afraid of; she was afraid because she could feel it taking more place. These past three weeks, this part of her has kept growing bigger, noisier, bolder and Weiss was not sure how long she would be able to maintain it hidden, hidden from herself. She was well-aware that something about her feelings was going wrong. This was probably as much as she could admit to herself at the moment, but she was scared, _terrified_ to look deeper. Sometimes, her thoughts would just go wild, muttering " _I love her_ ", and she could ignore it, as long as it remained a whisper, she could pretend it never happened. But these random thoughts were getting rather frequent, and more importantly, they were getting stronger. She could only fight back, find lame excuses and fall into a verbal internal war that would never be told in history books.

_I love her - I don't - then why did I just thought I did? - I'm just tired - This is lame - Thoughts like this have no meaning - I only want to believe they don't - I would know if I loved her - Or I would stubbornly deny it - I don't even like girls - Which is why the only heterosexual relationship I've had was entirely platonic - But she's not attractive - So I'm admitting I like girls - ... And that she is not attractive - So why am I always thinking about her? - I'm not in love with her - Or am I? - I'm not!_

She absolutely had no control over it. The more she tried to silence these thoughts, the more they would appear, and it would only lead to more confusion. She could list a hundred reasons why falling for her partner was a horrible idea, but she could also list just as many reasons why it was silly to even try to rationalize feelings. She paid no attention to her erratic heartbeat when she heard the girl above her moving in her sheet, and as she grew tired of pretending to be studying, she got up. She started walking toward the bathroom's door when a voice reached her. 

"Weiss? Where are you going?"

Said girl turned over to see Ruby, now laying down on her front, her elbows firmly place on the mattress to help her maintain her head up. Her black tank top was slightly falling down, hiding the beowolf pattern and revealing... a little bit more than it should. Weiss could feel the skin on her cheeks warming up as she cursed herself for having such indecent thoughts.

_Not attractive uh?_

She noticed Blake was grinning. Weiss felt a shiver run down her back, as her arms itched fiercely and her jaw tightened. That sly smile irritated her.

"Obviously, to the bathroom. Any other stupid question?"

The angst she held against herself started affecting Ruby, which she only noticed when the younger girl twisted her mouth in a regretful grimace before she lowered her head, therefore hiding the view Weiss was starting to admire. Equally ashamed, the heiress continued her way to the smaller room, blinking a few times on the way just to push the tears away, and she locked herself in. Her back still leaning on the door, she held her left hand close to her breasts as she tried to slow her heartbeat down. _What in the world am I doing?_ She let her body slid to the cold floor, the fast and powerful knocks inside her chest still refusing to decrease. She closed her eyes. _It's not her fault I'm getting so..._ She could not find the right word to describe what she was becoming. _Carefree? Reckless? Crazy? ... Perverted?_ She gulped, her dry throat clearing not agreeing with the gesture. _I cannot allow myself to ruin our team, our partnership._

_I love her - Shut up._

She slowly got back on her feet, keeping one of her hand on the door to maintain her balance. Her body complained, sending a displeasing pain through each of her muscles. She felt exhausted. The fact she could see a headache coming from a mile away did not help, so she undressed, tossed her uniform aside and rushed into the shower as fast as her legs allowed her to. She closed her eyelids. She let the sound of the water dropping on the stoneware echo through her ears, she let it run through her bare body, she let the heat swallow her completely.

_I love her - Shut up._

All her icy blue eyes could see when she opened them again was the steam taking over the entire room. She sighed heavily, reaching for her shampoo. She slowly proceeded to wash her hair, carefully listening to the water in order to keep her mind away from her leader. The task appeared harder than she thought, as Ruby's shampoo and shower gel seemed to look brighter than they used to. She grabbed her own product, now applying it to her body.

_Damn you, Ruby. How in the world am I supposed to stop thinking about you when we share the same room, the same bedroom, the same bunk bed?_

Her heart expressed itself again. It appeared to beat faster again, then slower. She felt a salty taste tickle her lips, invade her tongue. Instinctively, her fingers reached to her eyes. _Am I crying? But I'm not even sad!_ But as the tears refused to stay in place, she let them roll on her cheeks, melting with the water. There, alone, in this shower, her leader in her mind, she silently cried. No sobbing, no sniffing. _I'm a Schnee, after all_. But she was still human, and her conflicted mind along with her confused feelings was too much for her to bear.

_I love her - Shut up._

As she wondered when all these emotions appeared, she thought back to her first singing lesson. The freedom she felt when she started singing, the anxiety when she stopped, the relief when Ruby praised her. She remembered her warmth when she held her hand, when she wrapped her shoulders in a light hug, her breath tickling her neck as she spoke. She remembered her heart flinch at each of these. She remembered how bad she wanted to turn around and return the gesture, she remembered how her hand went to reach the little girl's arms when they were resting around her neck but stopped midway. She remembered feeling something hot spreading over her face when she tried to express herself, to ask for another lesson. She remembered how lightly her heart flew as she left the room.

_I love her - Shut up._

She crossed her arms over her chest, grabbing her own shoulders as if she were hugging herself. Ever since this day, she could not keep the small sign of affection out of her head. What she felt when she sang was amazing, she had no doubt about it, no matter how hard she tried to deny it when her private teacher asked her. But slowly, the reason why she agreed to these lessons changed. Each time she reached for the handle of the music room's door, she hoped those same thin comfortable arms would wrap her again. Each time she had to sing, she tried to excel. She cursed herself whenever she missed a note, no matter how many times her leader would reassure her, telling her it was fine. But it was not a matter of being perfect anymore, she wanted Ruby to be proud of her, to praise her, to embrace her. She was now the one being judged, rather than the one judging, she was the weakest, the neediest, and this feeling of powerlessness drove her mad. The mere fact she did not know why she felt this way did not help her cause.

_I love her - Shut up._

She stepped out of the shower, covered herself with the help of a clean white towel and walked to the mirror instantly. A faint red married the blue in her eyes. She looked at her reflection, half-sympathizing, half-judgmental. She proceeded to dry herself off as she tried to accept the fact she could not understand herself anymore.

_I love her - Shut up._

She changed into her pajamas, grabbed her uniform and stared at the door. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, filling her lungs entirely until she let finally let it out. When she opened her eyes again, she could feel a thin layer of courage surrounding her. She could not afford to show any sign of weakness, nor could she afford to hurt Ruby anymore. She stepped out of the bathroom, determined to just go to bed as fast as possible in order to avoid any questioning look from Ruby, any sly grin from Blake. _All I have to do is prepare my clothes for tomorrow, say 'good night' and go to bed_ , she told herself as she saw the dark sky through the red curtain.

As she walked to her dresser, she noticed two things. Firstly, Ruby had stopped writing and was now sitting and staring at the wall across Yang and Blake's bunk bed. Secondly, said bunk bed was empty. After glancing quickly around the room - carefully avoiding Ruby - Weiss decided to break the silence.

"Where is Blake?"

She could feel Ruby's eyes on her, but she pretended to be too busy folding her clothes to make eye contact.

"She went out to get Yang, she told me she would be back within an hour or so. Said something about privacy... I didn't really get it."

Weiss bit her tongue as she saw right through Blake's plan. The cat Faunus definitely sensed the tension between the heiress and the hooded girl.

"Weiss?" said girl called when she saw her partner laying on her own bed.

"Good night."

"What? But it's only seven, we haven't even eaten yet and..."

"I'm tired, and not hungry at all. So good night."

Ruby jumped out of her bed, stared at Weiss for a few seconds before sitting on the edge of the bed. She kept staring at the wall in front of her. Weiss tried to pretend to be asleep, but she knew she could not fool her leader.

"Weiss... is there something wrong?"

 _Oh please, don't ask that. Don't go down that path_ , Weiss immediately thought.

"Are you angry with me? Have I done something wrong?"

_No you didn't, you never did, it's just me, it's my fault._

"If I have, please tell me..."

_It's not you, it's me, I'm too cowardly to... to what exactly?_

"Weiss?"

The heiress sat down, silently. She did not know at what point Ruby turned around, but she was facing her. They were so close. If she spread her arm, she would certainly be able to reach her and then she could... she could not. She could not allow herself to. Too bold. Too risky. No matter how hard her body wanted it, she couldn't. _She is worried about me, and all I'm thinking about is hugging her. Goddamn it..._

She stared at her hands, on her lap, avoiding Ruby's troubled look.

_I love her - Shut up._

"I'm... fine. Just..." she paused involuntarily as each word struggled to be let out.

"Are you on your period?"

"What? N-No!" Weiss yelled, choking and blushing violently as she didn't expect Ruby to make such a blunt comment.

_I love her - Shut up!_

"I just thought... it would explain why you're so... moody."

Weiss looked up to meet silver eyes but quickly turned back to avoiding her gaze, her cheeks still tainted red.

"Dunce..." she whispered, the edge of her lips rising up.

"You're finally smiling!"

Weiss glanced at her once again. Her eyes still full of concern, Ruby lifted her right arm up, brushing a strand of white hair off of the heiress's pinkish face, and she offered a light, warm smile. Her hand remained on the older girl's shoulder, stroking it gently.

"If you feel bad, you can talk to me you know. Don't shut yourself in. I'm here."

Weiss flinched.

Her heart skipped a beat, or maybe it added one. Her lungs rejected any bit of air, or maybe she stopped breathing on her own. Ruby started stroking her more firmly, or maybe she was the one shaking violently. She could not find any words, or maybe there were too much of them. She could not tell.

_I can't, I can't, I definitely can't, there is no way I can handle this, there is no way I can love her, I can't keep up this distance, I can't..._

She had spent her whole life trying to meet up unreachable expectations she set for herself, aiming to be perfect, to excel in everything and anything, working hard, every second of her life, fighting her thoughts, her feelings, herself, denying her own being just to achieve the ideal she wanted to become, without ever coming close to it. She had fought these thoughts of hers with all her might, had tried to ignore them, to push them away, to turn them down, but what could she do when the girl she couldn't stop thinking about kept coming back at her, despite her flaws, her faults, her mistakes? How could she keep fighting for excellence when the exact same girl was sitting right next to her, glaring at her like she meant the world - like, she, Weiss Schnee, meant something, as imperfect as she was? How could she fight her desires when the girl she was longing for stayed so close, so caring, so loving, her innocence rubbing on the older girl as she caressed her shoulder ever so lightly? Oh, how she knew it was only an act of pure heroic naivety. And how she wished it would be more.

Her cheeks felt hot. Humid. The salty taste on her lips came back. It turned bitter.

"Weiss? What's wrong?" Ruby asked, her other hand reaching up to meet Weiss's left cheek, wiping a tear away.

_I love her._

"Uh, Weiss, I don't know, what am I supposed to do?" she asked, but the other girl didn't seem able to formulate a proper answer, seemingly lost in a state of shock.

_I'm gay._

"It's alright, i... it's gonna be alright, I'll help you with um whatever you have to deal with..." she continued while her hands slid down to the center of her back, pulling her closer, for an embrace the heiress never had the bravery to initiate herself. "I'm here, okay, no matter what, I'm your friend, well I think, but I'll make it better, somehow, so don't you worry about anything!"

_I love her so much._

Ruby stayed silent at this point, only holding her friend tighter, stroking her hair and back more firmly, as if she wanted to make her presence known. Weiss returned the gesture, her arms shyly holding the younger girl's arms as she nuzzled into her neck. She cried on her shoulder, not caring if she were silent or sobbing.

_There is no way I can help it._

She closed her eyes. She wanted to remember everything she felt in this moment. Everything. The salty taste, her muddy cheeks, the dark hair tickling her face, the knot in her stomach, the scent of roses - Ruby's shampoo. But most importantly, the warmth. The warmth of Ruby's body, the warmth of her fingers drawing circles on her back, the warmth of her upper arm brushing her cheek, the warmth of her breath on her neck, the warmth of the embrace.

_I want her so badly._

They remained in this position for a few minutes, until Weiss's shaking body finally became calm. Weiss could have skipped hundreds of hours of lessons just to stay here, with her, but she knew that for Ruby's sake, she had to let it go. She put her left hand on her right shoulder, pushing her away slightly. She could not make her worried - more worried.

"Are you feeling better?"

Her voice was almost timid and she let her hands on Weiss's arms as if she were afraid the older girl would break down again. But she didn't. Instead, she took a deep breath and locked eyes with her new love interest.

"Yes, I am. I'm... sorry about that."

She could not maintain eye contact for too long, but her partner did not seem to mind.

"It's fine! Don't worry! But do you want to talk about it? You know, I won't judge you, I promi-"

"I know. I would tell you, but there is nothing to say. I'm just tired, I didn't sleep well, and I... put a lot of stress on my shoulders. It'll be better after I get some rest."

"Mh... okay..." the younger girl finally gave in.

She seemed unconvinced, but she still straightened her back, distancing herself from her partner. When the latter laid back down, Ruby pulled the covers on her, her concerned look never fading.

"Ruby, you don't have to, really."

 _"_ I know. I'll go get something to eat, in case you're hungry during the night, okay?"

Weiss sighed. "Gosh, Ruby, I'm fine, I swear."

_Stop being so adorable, geez._

"O-Okay... I'll let you sleep then. Good night."

"Good night."

The younger girl got up, turned off the lights, only leaving her own bedside lamp on. She glanced at Weiss but before she could jump onto her bed, Weiss caught her hand.

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

Ruby smiled brightly and grabbed Weiss's shoulder once again, pressing it gently. "Anytime."

As she withdrew her hand and got into her own bed, Weiss fought the urge to ask her to come back down and stay with her, but she knew there were still boundaries she could not step over.

_Seriously, how stupid can I be, falling for my partner and leader?_

She felt cold that night.


	5. Nothing is something

An unpleasant noise flew through the room, to Weiss's ears. She felt too drowsy to decipher its origin, and as she waited in a mid-sleep for it to manifest itself again, her curiosity took the best out of her. She struggled to open her eyes, somehow hoping to dismiss her fatigue with the flapping of her eyelashes - unfortunately for her, her exhaustion from the previous day remained. She was about to sigh when the picture of her fearless leader came to her mind for the first time that day, making her heartbeat falter as she held her breath.

She then sat up, suddenly enough for her head to show discontent as she felt dizzy for a few long seconds. But she couldn't care less. As her eyes scanned the room, she could only notice that she was, indeed, alone.

She had spent so many time alone that she firmly believed she could not be bothered by loneliness anymore, but her heart was telling her otherwise. She had slowly grown accustomed to the presence of her teammates, a certain red hooded girl in particular, and the thought of them heading to class without waiting for her did not leave her as insensitive as she wished to be.

She finally released the breath she had been holding, hoping the mere sound of a sigh would cover the beats of her heart.

She slowly brought her feet to the ground, neglecting the complaints of her still sore muscles. She sighed a second time. _How can I be so weak?_ She readjusted the end of her nightgown before raising up, making sure no embarrassing part of her body could be seen - just because no one was there to witness did not mean she could behave recklessly.

As if to prove she was right, the door opened quietly, revealing a shy Ruby, her shoulders slightly down. When she noticed the heiress was awake, she suddenly threw the door open, a bright smile covering the bottom half of her face almost entirely. The exact same smile that made Weiss feel like there was no evil nor wrongs in this world, only lovable innocence, no worries, no pain, no angst, just a grin that made her feel like... like she belonged. Pathetic.

Even that smile could not excuse the leader for leaving her behind.

"You woke up! We went to get breakfast and I brought you some apples, I know you love those!"

... Well, she came back, so she didn't _exactly_ leave her behind, did she?

"Ruby, you could have just wakened me up. Besides, why did you get so many apples?" she added, pointing to the fruits Ruby could barely hold in her tiny hands. "One would have been enough. I am not as voracious as you are, mind you."

Ruby's eyes widened, seemingly offended. "But eating is healthy!"

"Yes, it is, but eating six apples will probably not contribute to my health in any way. If anything, it would only make me sick."

"I'm sorry..." the younger girl replied, defeated.

She tried to give one apple to Weiss, but only managed to make another fall right onto the ground.

"You dunce."

Weiss bent down to pick up the mistreated fruit, carefully straightening herself as slow as possible so she would not feel dizzy again. Once she felt safe, she put the apple down on Yang and Blake's shelf before grabbing her well-folded uniform and rushing into the bathroom.

"Are you not going to eat anything?" Ruby asked, raising her voice enough so that Weiss could hear.

Before Weiss could even bother finding an answer to this rather dumb question, she found herself already dressed up. Her hand went to open the door when she stopped herself. Ruby was waiting for her on the other side - probably. She turned around, facing her reflection in the mirror, staring back at her with pitiful eyes.

_This won't do._

She smoothed her skirt, pulled her sleeves a bit, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Weiss?"

She looked herself over a third time before taking a few steps back and swinging the door open. Ruby was, fortunately, still here, waiting with a dumbfounded expression all across her face. Rectification. Dumbfounded _and_ adorable.

_Brace yourself, Weiss, don't let your emotions out..._

"Did you expect me to go to class in my pajamas?" she asked, a forcefully annoyed tone dragging in her voice.

"Sorry... you just looked angry so..."

 _Damn silver eyes._ The heiress rolled her own, sighing a little too long for her own taste, before taking a few steps towards Ruby. Not too close. Just enough so she could reach for two of the apples still fighting for some space in Ruby's tiny arms.

"But I thought you said-"

"Next time, wake me up." She dryly replied, turning her back to those silver eyes she was so afraid to meet. The door seemed so much easier to stare at.

A few seconds of awkward silence settled in, during which Ruby was supposed to follow Weiss to the door. Supposed to.

"Wait, did you think we left you behind?" she asked instead, with a smirk her interlocutor could not see.

Weiss felt a shiver ran through her spine, as she tried her best to control her body so it would not fidget. _As if!_

"W-What? Of course not!" she yelled as she turned around to face her partner. However, she could not continue her sentence, as she noticed Ruby's grin growing wider and allowing a faint giggle out. _Damn stutter._

The younger girl then stepped in front of Weiss, staring right into her eyes with seriousness written all over her face. "Don't worry Weissy, I shall now always stay by your side!"

She then burst into laughter again, unable to control herself and barely managing to keep the three remaining apples in her arms. Weiss tried to protect her cheeks from a certain shade of pink, but her efforts were proved futile. _Damn adorable idiot._

"Would you stop with this nonsense?"

"Sorry, but this is just too cute..." she pleaded, as she tried to brush a single tear off of her eyelashes. "The strict and severe Weiss, afraid that her team would leave her behind... awh... and c'mon, school starts at ten today, there's no way we could have left you!"

_Damn cheeks._

"You're wrong! I just... I don't like being treated like a sick person... I feel totally fine, so there is no need for you to treat me differently."

Ruby appeared to be deep in thought for a few seconds, before a sudden concern took over her eyes, her lips drawing a slight upward curve.

"But... yesterday..."

Weiss tightened her grip on the apples as she remembered the events that occurred the previous evening. Another shiver overtook her, the warmth of Ruby's body never leaving her mind. A desire rose within her heart, an urge she could not give herself into, one she knew all too well, along with the frustration that always seemed to follow. Oh, that frustration.

"I'm fine." She saw Ruby open her mouth to reply, but she quickly cut her. "Now, we need to get to class. I don't want to be late."

She skillfully opened the door with the single help of her elbow before walking into the hallways, followed by a certain dolt.

* * *

As they were on Wednesday, they only had two long hours of history, and were free to do whatever they pleased in the afternoon. Unfortunately for Weiss, these three hours seemed to be most disturbing since the beginning of the semester.

She had always been a perfect student. Always listening carefully to the listen, taking precise and clear notes, reviewing her lessons once the classes were over, rarely missing, always getting perfect scores on any test brought to her, collecting compliments after compliments from any teacher... this was all a well-known pattern to her and anyone around.

But this day was different.

_She was wearing her cape today as well..._

The faint voice of Pr. Oobleck barely reached her ears, something about Faunus war... She already knew about this, thanks to her countless books on the matter and quite heated discussions with her Faunus teammate.

_Why a red cape? Well, she apparently likes red a lot, maybe because of her name... but does she really need it all the time?_

Accordingly, her mind seemed to wander off any given chance, not giving a care about the world surrounding her.

_And she is still writing that damn song... Really, what a child, she should be paying attention, it's her duty as a leader..._

She rested her pen on the table, cupping her cheek with her own left hand. Why did her face feel so hot?

_Then again... it seems to be really important to her... she even told Blake she had to do it alone._

"Miss Schnee?"

_No way! C-Could this be... a love song? But who? Blake? That would make sense... but wait... she doesn't seem to be attracted to girls... though she doesn't seem to be attracted to boys either... ugh this is driving me crazy..._

"Miss Schnee, please."

_Dammit, I'm sure whoever receives it will reciprocate her feelings... They would probably give in the first second... Even I struggle all the time to say 'no' to these eyes... Wow, her eyelashes are really going... wait._

"Miss Schnee!"

"W-what?"

_Oh gosh she's staring at me... this is bad, this is really bad... get a hold of yourself, Weiss..._

"The class has ended, miss, perhaps it is time for you to leave the classroom."

"Oh..."

After a quick check, she couldn't help but notice no one in the classroom remained - except for a few worried students including Ruby. She could feel the heat spread all over her cheeks as she grabbed her pen and notes in a gawky hurry.

"Weiss are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Are you sure? I mean, you seem a bit... off."

"I told you, I'm fine!" she replied, seemingly irritated.

She witnessed her partner's awkward smile suddenly drop, fully displaying her concern over each of her facial features.

"Sorry Ruby... let's just go have lunch, please."

She briefly nodded, holding her own paper sheet close as they headed for the cafeteria.

* * *

_What if it's Jaune? They've been getting awfully close these days..._

As she swallowed a bit of lettuce, she glanced briefly at the blonde.

_He's still clueless. He might not understand her feelings even if she writes them down in clear words. Geez, I don't understand what she could possibly see in him..._

Cheering herself up, she glanced at her precious partner, who was apparently taking great pleasure in swallowing gigantic amounts of cookies. She only glanced, or at least that was her plan until she ended up staring, scrutinizing each and every of her movement, in a matter that could not be qualified as discrete. But perhaps something about her attitude could give her a hint?

_What's with the sugar? Isn't she concerned at all about her own health? Wait, did she even have a proper lunch or did she directly skip to the dessert part?_

She frowned a little but lightened up as she could see Ruby struggling to get the sugar off of her cheeks, smiling like a little kid eating her first candy.

_At least she doesn't seem to be mad... Ugh, I wish she would stop worrying so much about me. She only makes it harder..._

* * *

"So, Weiss!"

"Mh?"

"Ready to go?"

"... Sure."

Receiving only a desperate sigh from her infuriating leader, which half-pleased her unlike her other teammates' gaze, she pushed the door of the room open, walking into the hallways for the second time that day.

They went straight to their room after lunch, Yang making loud monologs on her own while Blake pretended to be listening and Ruby was fully absorbed in her song-writing. Time went by fast enough while Weiss kept pondering the meaning of life - and whether or not white would look good on her partner - and it soon became time for them to rush to their singing lesson.

The first singing lesson since Weiss had sorted out her own feelings.

_Please don't be awkward, please don't mess it up..._

"Ruby"

"What is it, Weiss?"

They were walking down the street, their boots quietly crushing the snow in soothing rhythm, turning Weiss's vivid thoughts into nothingness as she tried to look for the right words.

"Are you... Do you... do you like Jaune?"

"W-W-What?"

"Sorry, forget it."

"No, no, it's just... wow, Weiss, I expected everything but this... So um is that what it was all about?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"You've been staring at Jaune all lunch. It was kinda awkward if you ask me, hehe."

_No, I was looking at you..._

"Don't worry Weiss, I don't like him!"

_You... you don't?_

"So... if you like him, I will just... fully support you!"

_But you're the one that I like..._

"Hehehe..."

_Please don't laugh it off like that..._

"But I'm glad to know you're okay..."

"You've got it all wrong..."

"Sorry? I didn't hear you..."

_Should I say something? Should I tell her? What if she doesn't like me? Will she reject me? What if she finds me disgusting? And starts avoiding me? What if I lose her?_

"Nothing."


	6. Facing your fears

She left.

She walked away, trying her best not to seem hurt, knowing already that her plan had failed.

Her legs ached, but she worked them as fast as she could, distancing herself from the younger girl.

_It's nothing, right?_

She knew her leader could catch her to up in a breath, but the lack of footsteps behind her was enough to know the poor girl was still standing there, speechless, not exactly knowing what happened. She knew she made a mistake, that she walked into a dangerous territory.

_What if she has doubts now? What if she realizes I don't actually like Jaune? What if she knows?_

She stopped for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath as fast as she could. She knew she was not ready to face her crush again. If she saw her face again, she would probably lose control of herself and say something she would definitely regret. Holding the tissue covering her chest firmly in her palm, hoping to steady her breathing, she entered the nearest café.

_I need to think._

She absent-mindedly sat at a free table, which was not hard to find considering the few people present.

_I can't let my emotions get the better of me again. I've messed things up enough as it is, I need to learn how to control myself._

She sighed.

_It would be a lot easier if I'd just stop losing control every time I'm around her. It just keeps happening, I clearly can't think things through and I keep saying stupid things. This needs to stop. But I can't just stop seeing... but how can I learn how to control myself? Do I have to get rid of my feelings for her?_

She blushed slightly.

_Mh, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Geez, when did my feelings grow so strong? What happened? Oh right, that hug..._

"Miss?"

She jumped slightly on her chair, the coming back to reality a little too harsh for her. She saw a young waitress next to her, worry spread all over her facial features.

"Miss, may I take your order please?" she asked, presumably not for the first time.

"Oh, yes, thanks. I'd like a cappuccino, please. I'll pay right away."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

Weiss nodded in recognition, muttering a small "thanks" that was not sure the waitress heard before departing. Weiss sighed again.

_Alright. I like Ruby. That is certain. No need to think about this more than I already have._

She felt her heart beating considerably faster against her chest as if agreeing with her.

_And... she believes I like Jaune. Which I don't understand. Why would make her think, even for a split second, that I could like him? He has asked me out countless times already and I've always rejected him, though he doesn't seem to get the message. She said I was staring at him but... I didn't, did I? I was wondering if she liked him, so it was quite possible I looked at him, but... I did look at her... a lot more... I think..._

She saw a hand placing a cappuccino carefully in front of her, and she hurried to get the payment from her purse. Noticing the worried face of the waitress once again, she gave her some extra cash, as a silent "thank you" for actually caring. She nodded once again before the waitress left.

 _Should I be grateful that she believes I was staring at Jaune? That gives me a nice cover. She won't suspect that I actually have feelings for_ her. _At least for a while. Blake seems to already have doubts, if she tells Yang, there is a good chance everyone will know._

She took a sip, judging the coffee too hot for her tongue and put it down, still deep in thought.

_Frankly, I half-expected her to guess what my feelings were already, because of my lack of self-control. Was I expecting it or was I hoping for it? I can't tell. Ugh. Would it be such a bad thing if she knew? She doesn't even have a clue, is that because loving another girl is so unthinkable? Is it so uncommon and weird that she never even thought that I could possibly love another girl? I've been taught that homosexuality was wrong, but I've also been taught that Faunus were inferior to humankind, which mostly everyone seems to disagree with. What do people think of homosexuality here?_

She looked at the waitress, who was busy serving another client. She stared for longer than she intended, questions floating in her mind.

_Maybe she is gay too. Maybe she has a crush on a girl. Maybe she even has a girlfriend. That would mean her girlfriend also likes her, right? How would she manage to find another person who likes girls?_

Suddenly realizing her staring, she turned to her cappuccino again, taking another sip only to notice it turned lukewarm. Grimacing slightly, one question remained beside all the others.

_Will I ever find someone?_

* * *

She opened the door slowly, a part of her wishing she would be welcomed by loneliness.

_I can't believe that just this morning I was trying to avoid being alone. What is wrong with me?_

She was greeted by the sight of Ruby, sitting in her bed, holding a pillow tightly while appearing deep in thought. She brought her head back up when she heard the sound of someone coming in, and Weiss was met with silver eyes, staring back at her with shock, as if she were a ghost that never belonged there. She mentally scolded herself for making the little girl even more worried that she initially was, this image carving itself into her mind, unbeknownst to her. It took a great effort from her to snap back to reality and detach herself from those eyes. She gulped, painfully, trying to untangle the knot that formed in her throat, and she pushed the door a little wider, finally noticing they weren't alone.

"Weiss..." she heard Ruby whisper.

"It was about damn time." She turned her head to the source of the voice, Yang's.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Weren't you supposed to go to the music school with my lil' sis?"

Losing total control of her eyes, they instantly looked up to said little sister. She noticed the death stare Ruby sent to her sister, trying to subtly silent her, but Weiss was quick enough to take her eyes away from her before Ruby saw her glancing. She didn't have to look to know that Blake wasn't as oblivious as Ruby.

Either the blonde didn't see it or didn't care, no one knew. She opened her mouth, seemingly trying to show her disapproval, but she was instantly cut off by Ruby.

"It's alright! It's no big deal!"

_If you really mean it, then why do you look so bothered? You've never been good at hiding your emotions._

Yang seemed surprised, her lips still parted but no sound coming out of it. Weiss also realized that Ruby's voice was way too high to be convincing.

_I'm only making this situation worse, right?_

Weiss sighed, walking up to her desk.

"Well, if that's alright, I'll..." she started.

"Wait! The afternoon is still not over, we should do something together!" The leader sputtered. "What about..."

For a brief second, she seemed to look for an actual idea.

"Are you going to suggest playing Protectors of Vale, _again_?" Blake quickly interrupted.

"Wow, Blake, you're a genius!"

_Are you kidding me? Why is Blake on her side? Wait, since when are there 'sides'?_

Blake sighed, putting her book aside while making sure she would not lose the page she was reading. It was obvious to everyone that this turn of event did not please her, but she seemed to reluctantly settle with it anyway.

"Wait, so we don't even have a say in this?" Weiss objected. She pointed at Blake. "I mean, it's obvious she doesn't want to play."

It seemed that the teammate she was pointing at tried to find anything to retort but remained silent. Weiss kept wondering why she would put up with this plan in the first place, but Ruby was quick to interrupt.

"I know! If Blake doesn't want to play, we can invite Jaune instead!"

_What?_

She couldn't ignore the knowing grin covering her leader's smile.

_No, this can't be good. No. No._

Blake seemed equally confused, and it didn't take long for Weiss to figure it had nothing to do with being out of the game. She silently hoped for anyone to object, but all of her teammates quickly nodded.

"But- would he be busy... training with Pyrrha? Or something?" she lamely tried.

"No, they train in the mornings! It's all right, Jaune loves to play with us!" Ruby answered.

"I have no time for this kind of childish-"

"You're just scared that we'll kick your butt again." Yang grinned.

"What! How dare you?"

"We know how hard it is to lose - well actually, we don't really, but how can you improve if you give up before trying?"

"Alright, I'll show you!"

_I'll regret this. I know I'll regret this._

***

After Ruby went to fetch Jaune for a game that he obviously accepted with joy, the four of them went to the library, bringing along Ruby's favorite card games.

Something was off.

Ruby's overly cheerful attitude, the way her smile wavered, the way her hands shook when she grabbed the cards, and the way she glanced at her direction, trying to be subtle, even though everyone noticed.

They began playing in an awkward silence, sometimes interrupted by Ruby's attempts at bringing up the mood, yet even Jaune was not convinced. It took Weiss four turns into the game to realize that Ruby was going way too easy on her, which everyone seemed to notice as well. Jaune and Yang were mostly playing between themselves, making sure to never attack Weiss and create as many opportunities for her as they possibly could. Neither of them seemed to actually understand the situation, they were merely following the silent instructions that Ruby gave them. As time went by, they also began to send worried glances at Weiss, wondering why she was worth the special treatment.

She played along for a while, sighing heavily whenever her turn came, playing the cards Ruby knew she had. She effectively won within ten small minutes, to no one's surprise, not even hers.

They kept playing for a whole hour, but each battle was her victory, to the point she didn't even have to try anymore.

"Wow! You're really beating us, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, but her voice sounded so fake it almost hurt her ears.

The white-haired girl let out a small, sarcastic giggle, as she stared at the game that was so obviously a setup. Just like this whole situation.

 _You're not fooling anyone. This is stupid._ _What are you expecting from this, from me? Even if I did like Jaune, why would you expect this to work? Do you wish for me to be with Jaune so badly? What would you gain from this? Seriously, why?_

She looked up from the game.

Bad mistake.

She saw Ruby's deflated expression. The only expression she could gather from her facial features was defeat, as if her mask fell, and she no longer had the strength to keep up the act, pretending that nothing was wrong and she would eventually make things right again, the role she was given as leader falling on her shoulders like a heavy burden once again.

There was no longer the wavering smile on her face that infuriated Weiss so much, but that she actually began to miss.

_Why would you do this?_

Her hands twitched slightly. She wanted to ignore the looks she was given, and just comfort the little girl.

She desperately wanted to get up, walk up to the girl and hold her close, telling her that she didn't have to do all this, that she didn't stand to see her so powerless, that Jaune was not the one she liked... She wanted to tell her everything she had been holding in.

But she didn't have the strength to, and the desire developed in her like a burning flame, entirely consuming her.

She wanted to. She so desperately wanted to, and knowing that she could not was torture to her.

_I'm so sorry._

Unexpectedly, Ruby's eyes lighted up again, a sudden idea merging into her mind, and Weiss knew before she even spoke that it would be a terrible one.

"I know! I'll go to the cafeteria to get you something to eat as a present!"

"Ruby, you really don't have to." She forced the words out of her throat, feeling as though some of them just remained stuck there, unable to convey her emotions properly.

She could sense that the two others were as surprised as she was, but she could see the relief on their faces.

"I want to do it! It's not every day that you win!" She scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. "I'll just go! Yang, wanna come with me?"

_Oh no._

"Em... Okay Rubes?"

The brawler didn't have much to question before Ruby just grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the library, waving at the two remaining as she closed the doors.

"Okay..." Jaune whispered, eyes wide.

_Oh gosh... Why can't she give up sometimes?_

She sighed heavily again, clearly showing her discontent.

"So... what's going on?"

"Nothing." She replied abruptly, not realizing what she said until the words actually left her mouth.

She could hear Jaune gulping, unsure what to say now. Even she was surprised at how harsh her words sound, so she could barely imagine how Jaune took them.

_Nothing. It's nothing. Isn't that what I told Ruby? Before I ran. I ran away. I'm not even strong enough to face my own emotions, pretending that nothing is there, and that's where it led us. Doing all this masquerade, pretending everything is fine, everything is normal, nothing is wrong. Nothing. 'Nothing' caused me to have feelings for Ruby, I ran away for 'nothing' and we're just here for 'nothing' as well. Wouldn't that be great?_

"Err, so, maybe I should just go-"

"Actually, there is something."

She let out the words as fast as she possibly could, giving herself no choice. She created her own trap, preventing herself from running away this time, and forcing herself to go on and face the statement she herself made.

"Do you... want to talk about it, maybe?" He tried, almost as if he were afraid she would suddenly snap at him.

"Yes. I would very much like that." She looked around her briefly. "Could we go somewhere else please? I wouldn't want to bother anyone else here."

"Wouldn't Ruby and Yang worry?"

"They won't."

_I'm pretty sure she already expects us to leave._

He nodded and got up. Without a word, Weiss followed his lead, walking him being him silently as he was leading her to who knows where.

_Alright, it's time. Enough with the lies. I can't allow myself to make Ruby even more worried... it might be the worst decision I can make, but at least it's something. Something._

Jaune opened up the door leading to the roof and quickly checked the windows below them, making sure no one was listening on their conversations.

"So, what is it?" He said, trying to make his voice as soft as possible, as to not frighten the girl.

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed the atmosphere when were at the library." She replied, almost exasperated.

"Yeah, what's up with that? It wasn't even a real game." He paused, realizing what he said. "No offense to you, I mean-"

"I know. Ruby", that word along almost hurt, though she tried to ignore it, "was going easy on me."

She sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time this day, sitting on the extremity of the roof, her legs hovering over the emptiness as she pretended to stare at the horizon.

"This whole thing was a set up", she admitted.

"A... set up? What do you mean?"

"For some reason that I can't think of, Ruby is convinced that I have a thing for you." She didn't even give him time to reply. "Which is _not_ the case. I can't conceive why she got this idea in mind."

She turned her face to him, knowing she had just broken his heart in a few mere seconds.

"So I really have no chance? No matter how hard I try?"

She shook her head.

_This is cruel. Why am I doing this? I could have spared him._

He sat next to her, adopting the same position, as it allowed him to avoid her eyes.

_No. This is the only way he would understand... and the only way I can clean the mess that my head is in._

"Do you..."

She could feel her heart beating strongly against her chest, trying to break free from it, and for a second she almost feared that it would actually happen. She felt herself slipping into a mindless daze, her brain refusing to cooperate, and it actually took her a while to realize that her lungs stopped functioning. She had to consciously remind herself that she needed air before she released the breath she didn't even know she was holding.

She felt his eyes staring at her, burning into her soul as if trying to understand the question she was so desperately trying to phrase. She knew he was waiting, and she knew that the moment she would actually gather up the courage to speak up, she would be vulnerable.

It was dangerous, so dangerous, and she was scared, terrified, but she knew it was a matter she _had_ to deal with. She knew her mind would never leave her alone until she actually stopped running away to face her questions.

"Do you think it is wrong for a woman to like another?"

She saw it. She saw the shock on his face, his eyes widening a little more than usual, his lips parting, and she firmly believed she noticed him slightly distancing himself from her. But she had said it. Almost.

"What do you mean?"

_Oh hell no, you're not going to make this even harder than it already is!_

"You know what I mean."

He didn't reply, staring off into the distance once again. She wasn't sure whether he was looking for an answer himself, of if he had already given up on helping her. She could almost feel a hand breaking through her, grabbing her heart and pressing it torturously slowly. Her eyes burned slightly, forcing her eyelids to close a few times to repress the tears she knew were only waiting to come out.

_Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down._

She took a deep breath and placed one of her hand near her chest, trying to calm the thump in her chest and regain control of her emotions.

_Can a heart be turned to stone?_

She pressed her lips firmly together and discretely passed her tongue over them.

"I grew up with the idea that the only possible way to live was to find a rich man, marry him, conceive an heir and bring pride to the Weiss family. While being a tool to my family has bothered me for as long as I can remember, there are things I only began to question when I joined this school and met different people."

She paused, taking another deep breath. One particular light in the distance seemed to peak her interest, and she continued to stare at it.

"I thought Faunus were inferior to humans. I thought they were beasts, whose only skills were to steal, murder, destroy. Coming here proved me wrong. But there are things that I can't just figure out that easily, and I just can't wait until I actually meet another person who likes the same gender before I can actually see what people think of it."

"Another person, uh."

She glanced at him instinctively, shocked to hear his voice, and even more shocked that he noticed her little slip-up.

_No, that wasn't a slip up._

She turned away, a blush gradually claiming territory over her cheek despite her attempt at concealing it.

"Another person."

He got off the small face, turning his back to her and stretching his arms above his head before letting them fall against his sides.

"To be frank", he began, "I've never met someone like that. I mean, uh, someone who likes the same gender. But I don't exactly see why it would be wrong. I mean, a boy or a girl, it's still love, right? It's not like you really have a choice when it comes to who you fall for. Well, I'm pretty sure some people would have something to say against it, but they always do anyway. My mom always says that 'only you can tell what you are really worth', and that 'you shouldn't let anybody dictate your life', or something like that."

The hand pressing her heart seemed to magically fade away, or at least she couldn't feel it anymore. Despite having a hard time regaining a steady breathing, she could only feel relieved, safe, as if the cruel remarks she expected were in fact replaced by the kindness and comprehension she was so desperately looking for.

"So it's up to you", he turned to face her. "Do _you_ think it's wrong?"

A single tear escaped from her eye, thankfully opposite to Jaune, and she wiped it away, pretending to scratch her cheek.

"No, I don't think it is", she said, and was ashamed when she heard a sniff coming out of her despite herself.

"Then it's alright. You don't have to listen to those who disagree."

_If only I could._

She got up as well, stepping in front of Jaune, trying hard to look at him, even though the revelation she just announced made it hard for her to do so.

"Thank you. For listening to me. And for... everything you said."

"Hug?" he proposed.

"No thanks."

"Aww, too bad."

She let out a small giggle, suddenly coming to the realization she had been smiling for who knows how long.

"Hopefully you will stop showing up at the dorms with a guitar to sing stupid songs."

"Hey, that's harsh!" he laughed anyway. "But don't worry. I understand. I never actually expected you to like Ruby, but I guess there is nothing I can do about it, except movin-"

"Wait, what did you just say?"

_Crap. He knows._

"That... you like Ruby? Did I guess wrong? Or is it Blake? Since you made up and all maybe-"

"No, no, no, it's not Blake." She paused, biting her lower lip, suddenly finding the floor so very interesting.

"So it _is_ Ruby."

She nodded.

_That's it. He knows. Everything._

"Well, she's really cool. I don't know if she cares about anything else than weapons when it comes to romance but... I can say that she really cares about you."

She lifted up her head, more interested in what he had to say than in the lacing of her shoe.

"She tried to set us up, right? But if that's all she wanted, she wouldn't have played for a whole hour. She would have left after one game, instead of actually playing with us and going easy on you. It was so obvious she wanted to cheer you up, and why would she do that if not because she cares?"

"Caring and loving are two different things."

"What I mean is... even if she learned about your feelings and didn't return them", Weiss winced at the idea, "she would never turn your back on you because of it. Not only because she's kind, but because she does scare, so you don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid!"

He smiled knowingly.

"It takes a lot of courage to express your feelings."


	7. Unspoken

Weiss opened the door slowly, being extremely cautious about the amount of sound she made. She expected to find the room plunged into darkness but found herself greeted by two standing figures instead.

"You really have a tendency to show up late, don't ya?" Yang said once Weiss had closed the door.

"I didn't expect you to be awake." she admitted.

Blake let a quiet chuckle escape from her nose before she pointed her chin towards Ruby's bed. The white-haired girl stepped forward, carefully, only to notice the young leader was already fast asleep. Weiss turned her head towards her other two teammates, shooting a questioning look at them.

"You'll thank me later." Yang said and winked.

* * *

Sunday came by quicker than Weiss had hoped, despite the days being relatively eventless, aside from Weiss's singing lesson - unbeknownst to Ruby, she had subscribed to the music school's courses, with their best private teacher, every Mondays and Fridays. She actually went as far as handing her extra cash so she would keep their lessons secret. She could not let Ruby the satisfaction to know her lessons actually had some impact on Weiss, but she could not allow herself to fail at those either. She had to be at her best.

_Hmph, it's almost like I'm trying to impress her._

She pondered for a second, stopping her walk in the middle of the hallway.

_... Which is probably what I'm trying to do. Ah well._

She kept walking towards the music school, where Ruby and she had agreed to meet up. It was, in fact, the first time they ever went separately.

_She said she was busy and couldn't meet me at the dorms but... she's still a very bad liar._

She could feel her heart pondering against her chest, faster than her boots crushed the snow below her. Being alone with Ruby was terrifying. She used to have incredibly high expectations of their meetings, she used to focus on collecting Ruby's praises - but right now, she was just scared. Scared that Ruby would ask her questions about Jaune, scared she wouldn't be able to deal with this misunderstanding, scared she would impulsively say something she knew she would come to regret.

Running away was tempting, but she knew she could not. She knew she had to act as normally as possible, as to avoid any suspicion - though she was aware her plan had already failed.

_I wonder how much Blake and Yang know. Blake seems to know a lot already, and it doesn't look like she minds, more like it's some game to her. But Yang... What would she do? She seems quite tolerant, if not completely carefree, so I don't think she would actually think badly of me, would she?_

As she stepped closer to her final destination, hand reaching for the doorknob, one thought stroke to her.

_If they know, Ruby is bound to learn about it as well._

Dismissing her fear, she stepped inside and immediately walked towards their special room. Knocking lightly on the door, it did not even take a second for it to burst open, causing her to jump a little before she noticed the young girl standing before her.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, seemingly excited.

She urged her inside, using wild gestures that could probably knock a few vases over - actually, the pot plant only _barely_ escaped an intimate encounter with the floor.

"What are you so happy for?" Weiss asked, after getting over her little fright a few mere seconds earlier.

"Oh." Ruby stopped in her tracks, a piece of paper in her hand that had appeared from who knows where.

She cleared her throat slightly, looking at Weiss, then the window, then Weiss again, then the window again.

"I... I was wondering if you would come..." she admitted.

It was only then that Weiss noticed the nervousness in her voice. She sighed, before taking a seat, offering her most composed look.

"Why wouldn't I?" She crossed her legs, looking at the sheet Ruby was holding. "I thought you would be late since you said you had things to do but... it seems that you were here early."

The red-haired girl scratched her nape, shifting her stance nervously.

"Well um, I was working on this", she waved her hand, the one holding the paper, finally making eye contact with Weiss.

"The song you're writing?"

"Yes. I mean... I finished the lyrics and rhythm yesterday, but I just... wanted to review it?" she let out a small, nervous giggle.

_Couldn't she do that at the dorms, though? Is she trying to avoid me? No... Jaune said she cared about me. She keeps trying to make everything easy for me. Maybe... maybe she just wanted to give me an opportunity to run away?_

Her eyes opened wide in realization, unaware that Ruby was still observing her.

_That's why she was so surprised to see me here! She expected me to skip the lesson!_

She looked up at her, breathing heavily. For the first time, she actually hated the idea of Ruby caring about her. Her heart was aching, she could feel it asking for more, she could feel herself hoping, and she loathed that internal war between her feelings and her thoughts.

"Ahem, so, is it okay if I... sing it?" Ruby asked with a weak voice.

"O-Oh, sure, go ahead!"

_Dammit Weiss, you started out great, don't mess things up now._

Ruby cleared her throat.She stared at Weiss instantly before frowning and adding:

"Em, well, as I said, I only got the lyrics so there is no instrumental so it might sound a little bit weird to you so-"

"Geez Ruby, just do it!"

"Erm, alright".

She nodded self-assuredly, closing her eyes as she inhaled, welcoming a large amount of oxygen into her lungs. If Weiss wasn't paying extreme attention to the younger girl's features, she would have missed how Ruby's throat and jaw tightened slightly as she gulped.

_"I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute."_

She began, and what first ticked Weiss's interest was how fast Ruby was singing - which wasn't actually so surprising considering her semblance.

_"Couldn't bear another day without you in it."_

Her voice was lower than how Weiss remembered it, deeper perhaps.

_"All of the joy that I had known for all my life was stripped away from me the minute that you died."_

... Died? The white haired girl almost jumped at the word. Was it a metaphor? Was she really singing about death?

_"To have you in my life was all I ever wanted, but now without you, I'm a soul forever haunted."_

Ruby's eyelids remained shut tight, which Weiss was grateful for, as she stared at the younger girl, shock and curiosity mixing in her gaze. Unbeknownst to herself, her lungs forgot how to function properly, and refused any form of air, as all of her concentration was swallowed by the words she knew Ruby had chosen consciously.

_"Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted, no way in hell that I can ever comprehend this."_

Her voice grew higher, wavering slightly, emotions slipping through only just barely, escaping her lips without her consent. Weiss saw her eyebrows twitch, right above her closed eyes, focusing on regaining control.

_"I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone, I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong."_

The rhythm suddenly increased, to the point Weiss could barely make out the words escaping her leader's mouth. She stared at her lips, noticing the feeble twitch at the extreme corners of it, a grimace appearing on her features for merely half a second. Far too long.

_"How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay? Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single effing day!"_

Crap. Weiss could feel her heart thump faster against her chest as she realized in shock that indeed, Ruby was singing about a lost one. She was releasing all the pain she had contained, kept away from the common eyes, hidden behind an innocent smile.

_"It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending, every scene fades black and there's no pretending."_

She could hear, she could _feel_ Ruby's voice drenched in despair, drowning, the only traces of hope lost in the never ending darkness, the light only there to reflect her feelings.

_"This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well, there's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell?"_

Perhaps she was calling for help? Begging for someone to save her, despite all the efforts she put into convincing herself that no one would ever get her out of this pit.

_"I know you didn't plan this, you tried to do what's right, but in the middle of this madness, I'm the one..."_

She swallowed.

_"Left to win this fight..."_

Ruby finally opened her eyes, shiny silver eyes staring back at her, a fierce gaze sending an emotion Weiss could not yet recognize. Singing alongside her allowed her to see plenty sides of Ruby, but never had she witnessed such pugnacity in her eyes, in her voice, her whole being sending a warmth that was far from comforting.

_"Red like roses fills my head with dreams and finds me, always closer..."_

Her voice hardly rose above a whisper, only barely echoing through the cramped room. It almost felt suffocating, the emotions Ruby poured through her voice, enveloping Weiss, trapping her here, face to face with the sorrow she never knew existed.

_"To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you."_

Emptiness and sadness. Were they the feelings flowing through Ruby's veins as she sang? Since when was Ruby even capable of this? Who was Ruby?

_"It doesn't matter how, the petals scatter now."_

Her eyes closed yet again, head tilting to the side, trying to hide what obviously couldn't be hidden anymore.

_"Every nightmare just discloses, it's your blood that's red like roses."_

Her voice broke, still singing true while singing wrong. Her singing wasn't wrong. Her feelings were. They couldn't be anything but wrong.

_"And no matter what I do, nothing ever takes the place of you."_

The younger girl took a deep breath, opening her eyes. Weiss almost believed she was finished until she began anew.

_"Red like roses fills my head with dreams and finds me, always closer..."_

Still broken, trying to reunite the pieces she had left.

_"To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place... of... you."_

And the song ended.

Truth be told, Weiss was terrified. She thought, naively, with a pinch of pride, that she had discovered another facet of Ruby's personality, but she was wrong. She had not discovered anything. Ruby had shown her, consciously. She had invited her here, into this room, alone, to sing to her, about her past, her pain, about the burden they both represented.

She could not comprehend the reasons why Ruby would ever open herself to her the way she did - but the idea alone was frightening.

She had always feared being judged, being powerless under someone else's eyes, having her being submitted to their judgment. But never had she realized what it meant to be the one holding that power. She had thought of it as a proof of strength, of superiority - wrong. It was the power to either fortify or break a friendship.

So she decided to do what she knew Ruby would have done - what Ruby did.

Stepping forward, until she was only a few inches apart from the small girl, she thought back of that one hug - that one hug that made her addicted to this warmth. She remembered how gentle and sweet Ruby had been, how light her touch was, yet so comforting.

She threw her arms, a little bit too roughly for her own taste, around Ruby's shoulders. She heard the faint gasp escape from those lips, and for a second she was convinced she had hurt her, or at the very least, that she had done something wrong. But she was determined to prove her that she was there, that she cared, that she _was_ her friend as much as it could pain her to admit it, and it made her stay put. When she felt Ruby leaned in against her, nuzzling her neck, her hands reaching behind her back with this gentle touch she had missed, she allowed herself to move. She tried to find a place for her own hands to settle, and while one went to awkwardly rest by the curve of her lower back, the other one traced large circles below her shoulder blades, trying to find a soothing rhythm.

It wasn't quite how she expected.

She intended to give Ruby the feelings she had given her - not love, not craving, but _comfort_. A silent "it's alright, I'm here, I'm not judging you."

But despite the roughness, the fear, the awkwardness, Ruby seemed oddly satisfied. She hummed, the sound faintly muffled against the heiress's neck, seemingly unaware of the persistent heart, beating strongly against her chest.

They remained in this position for a little while longer, before Ruby pulled away, much to Weiss's disappointment.

She brushed her sleeve against the corner of her eye, sniffing as quietly as she could, but that still wouldn't escape Weiss's ears. Even still, the latter decided to avoid any comment, even when she saw the red in her partner's eyes, and even when she noticed a slight dampness on her jacket. She just ignored it all.

"Are you feeling better?" she mumbled, not quite sure if she could allow herself to show more of her emotions than she already had.

"Yes, thank you."

She sniffed again, louder.

"I'm glad you're my friend." The younger girl beamed at her, but her voice sounded broken.

She ticked.

Because that smile was definitely different - how, exactly, she could not tell, but she knew it was.

Because her voice completely betrayed her act.

Because she used the word "friend".

And because she was _glad_.

_Of course. We are friends. I shouldn't expect anything else. I don't expect anything else. This is how she wants it to be, and how I want it to be as well._

Her shoulders dropped a little.

_Is this... loneliness? Why... am I feeling so lonely?_

"Weiss? Is anything wrong?"

_Besides, it's obvious I don't even know her as well as I thought I did. It's silly to think there could be anything more to it._

The heiress's gaze drifted away, and she covered her throat as she swallowed painfully.

"This song..." She began. "Who... is it about?"

She glanced back at Ruby. The smile that was so obviously forced finally crumbled, and yet another set of emotions was offered only for Weiss to witness - and truth be told, she _almost_ regretted having to see it.

"Mh, I probably shouldn't ha-"

"My mother."

"Oh."

That was the only sound that escaped her mouth.

She tried to search for something else to say - comforting words, anything that would make the girl feel better, anything that would wash the morose expression off her face - yet nothing came to her. As if her mind suddenly turned blank, blocking any thought from being processed carefully. She found nothing to say.

There _was_ nothing to say.

"Sorry Weiss, maybe it was too soon, I just..." Ruby started.

She paused, herself looking for words.

"I thought... maybe... if I opened to you, you would trust me a little more. I don't know..."

The heiress released a painful, heavy sigh.

"I already told you. You don't have to do this, Ruby. I trust you."

"But something is bothering you and you still won't talk to me..."

"The fact that I trust you doesn't mean that I have to tell you every single detail of my life."

Her sentence sounded sharper than she intended, cutting straight through the girl facing her. _Damn._

"Look, Ruby... it's not about you." _Even though it is._ "I'm just... not really the confessing type." _It hurts to admit._ "So you really don't have to do all this just to get me to talk or to cheer me up or whatever it is that you're up to." _I know that you care. I know. And it makes things so much more complicated._

Very, very slowly, Ruby nodded - looking as if she really didn't want to.

"Will you at least tell me how it went with Jaune?"

"Ruby..."

"Just this, and I swear I'll stop! I won't ask anything else."

She released another sigh, before staring at the ground - who knows, maybe there was a small exit there that would allow her to escape from this awkward question?

"Nothing much happened. Really. It's not worth talking about."

"You were out there for a while, though, so something _must_ have happened!"

"How would you even know if you were asleep?"

"I waited for you to come back! But... Yang and Blake both asked me to go to sleep, and promised me they would tell me anything that happened."

_Damn you both._

"What did they tell you, then?"

"They only said you arrived very late... and that you were suspicious. So they told me to talk to you directly."

_Really, damn you both._

"I did nothing suspicious. Jaune and I simply talked together. I admit that our conversation was quite long, and he was nicer than I expected, but nothing worth mentioning happened."

She noticed Ruby's throat tightening, and her eyes were mixed with feelings that Weiss was trying to comprehend.

"What were you talking about?"

"I thought you said you would stop prying?"

"I asked you how it went, but your answer isn't really an answer!"

The heiress rolled her eyes. _What am I supposed to say to this? Should I lie? There's no way I can tell her the truth..._

But the leader wasn't giving up. "Just tell me... have you confessed to him?"

 _Wait, is she serious? She still thinks I like him? I did the_ exact opposite _of confessing! But... if I tell her that, she would be even more suspicious, wouldn't she? Would she really stop asking questions, would she stop trying to help me?_

She stared at her intensely, trying to see past the flesh and the bones, trying to read her thoughts, intentions, emotions. It was silly, she knew, but she hung onto the slight hope that maybe, maybe she would a hint, a clue - after all, Ruby was an open book, wasn't she? Yet, it was impossible for her to know if the younger girl would really give it up. Telling the truth was tempting. Dangerous, but tempting.

_I don't like him._

_I don't like him. I don't like him. I don't like him. I don't like him, I don't like him, I don't like him!_

"No... No, I haven't."

_I don't like him._

For a split second, nothing but shock could be read from Ruby's face. But that surprise quickly faded away, her gaze lost in the distance, seemingly deep in thought. Weiss wanted to say something, anything to stop whatever train of thought was rolling in the young girl's mind, but she didn't even have the time to. Before she could even find words, Ruby was staring back at her, nodding slightly.

She remained silent. Both of them were.

For the second time, Weiss tried to decipher whatever was going on inside Ruby's mind, but she was surprisingly hard to read. It was not that no emotion could be seen on her facial features - but too much could be observed. Was it hope or was it despair? Was it joy or was it disappointment? Was it determination or was it exhaustion? Weiss couldn't settle for any of those.

Trying, yet again, to escape the painfully heavy atmosphere, she glanced at the clock, proudly hanging on top of the wall.

"Mh, maybe we should get back", she whispered.

The small girl nodded, seemingly trying to avoid her gaze. She half-expected Ruby to drop the unusual act, but as she realized the younger girl's behavior was not changing, worries began to crawl at the back of her head.

_This is weird._

They silently stepped out of the room, then into the cold air outside.

Snowflakes were descending from above, and as soon as they reached her warm jacket, she felt a shiver crawl all over her body.

 _I didn't think it would be this cold..._ she sighed. _It seems that all of my expectations were crushed today, whatever they were._

She stared at the dark sky menacingly, as if she could put all the blame on its shoulder. She heard Ruby's footsteps pass by her, and she didn't bother waiting before catching up to her.

There were a few words spoken in the far off distance, words whose meaning remained obscure to her.

There was the steady, constant noise of their boots crushing against the snow, almost in harmony, marking the streets with their footprints.

There was Ruby's erratic breathing, forming a faint trail of smoke in front of her mouth, that would fade away only to reappear again.

And then there was the brushing of their hands. It was light, it was brief, but it was there, and both of them seemed to flinch at the touch.

Weiss's heart missed a couple of heartbeats, and her thoughts tripped, stumbled, crumbled.

 _She is so close. So so so close, oh gosh, what do I do? The atmosphere is so awkward and weird but she isn't saying anything - I'm not saying anything either so - wait, maybe I should say something? Maybe she tapped my hand to invite me to speak? No, no way, it was definitely accident - was it? It was brief but it didn't seem brief enough to be accidental - but again, if it were, wouldn't she say something like "sorry", as if it was not really an issue? But she's not saying anything! It has to be intentional, right? But wait, shouldn't there be something more then? Or is it_ really _normal? No issue here? Oh crap, what should I say? What should I do? What is she-_

"Are you cold?"

"W-What?"

 _Where did_ that _come from?!_

She watched Ruby's lips parting again, as she repeated:

"Are you cold?"

The silence only lingered for a few seconds.

"Just a bit..." she replied.

And before she could even return the question, she felt a tiny hand sneaked into hers.

"Your hand is so cold..." Ruby whispered.

"But yours is warm..."

She tightened her grasp around Ruby's hand, sending her "thanks" through the small pressure she applied. She didn't lie. Her hand was small, but it was warm, warm enough to completely dismiss the cold embracing her body.

Weiss stared the other way, effectively concealing her crimson cheeks behind her scarf. She closed her eyes, begging her heart to calm its relentless thumping, praying that her obvious shaking would cease or that its cause would be mistaken. But most importantly, she wished, with all her might, that Ruby would not let go.

Their fingers cautiously intertwined.

Their thoughts were left unspoken.


	8. Strength and courage

About a week had passed since that day - that evening. Weiss could still remember the warm, soft, delicate touch of her friend, her heart agonizingly reminding her how inaccurate the term "friend" now was - the atmosphere had indeed grown considerably different between them.

_It was already awkward after Ruby started believing that I liked Jaune, but now..._

Weiss still remembered the cheerful Ruby, with her ever-lasting smile, her kind words, and positive attitude. She remembered how the younger girl would speak for _hours_ about how she saw someone with a cool weapon, or how her favorite artist released a new song. Even when she tried to set Weiss and Jaune together, the redhead was still overly excited about everything, no matter how fake her smile was, her voice would still go up in the high, her eyes would still beg for approval. Weiss's approval.

The former Ruby would always use any chance to get closer to Weiss - and the heiress was painfully aware of it.

The new Ruby however...

She would barely look at her. She would stay silent for hours, her gaze lost somewhere in her distance as she probably lost herself to her thoughts. Weiss actually caught her staring a few times during class, and she noticed the young leader would always avert her eyes, trying to play it off as a mere accident, as if it were unintentional and absolutely not suspicious at all.

If only Weiss was not so terrified to speak face to face, she would have asked, but even communication seemed to have taken a hard blow. The simplest sentences would turn into a random mess of sounds - even the basic "hello" and "good night" were only indecipherable noises whose meaning could only be presumed. Often, Ruby would come up to her, parting her lips only to close them a second later, her cheeks reddening suddenly as she walked away, leaving a very confused Weiss behind.

Weiss had initially thought that her reaction to Ruby's song was not the one expected - she feared that the comfort she tried to give was not enough, or that it was not wanted in the first place. But it didn't take long for her to realize that Ruby was not actually mad at her. She was definitely troubled, and Weiss could not help but wonder if the hand holding was too much.

_What if she has realized I have feelings for her?_

It felt as if they were drifting apart, despite not actually wanting to.

Despite it all, the singing lessons still occurred. They basically consisted of Weiss having to pick a song and work on it until she had mastered it, trying to follow the few bits of advice Ruby actually gave her - as time went on, those said bits of advice were found to be rare and brief. Perhaps because Weiss was getting better, perhaps because Ruby grew less comfortable speaking to her.

The two lessons they had this week ended a lot sooner than they usually did - the first time, Ruby had pretexted an assignment she had yet to finish, the second time she had not even bothered making up an excuse, only muttering something that sounded like a "we-should-probably-go-or-something".

Weiss felt powerless. There were so many words swirling in her head, begging to be freed, to come out, open for the world and Ruby to hear. The emotions swirling inside of her chest pushed her to grab a pen and a sheet of paper, scribbling messy letters, forming sentences, scratching groups of words and circling others. She had no rhythm in mind. Only words that would keep her company, alone with her lights on, pushing the darkness further away.

* * *

Then Wednesday arrived. Nine days had passed since the evening they held hands - that memory alone made Weiss's heartbeat increase. As Mr. Port was ranting about his oh so interesting life, Weiss tried to sneak a glance at Ruby, sitting on her left side. Ruby obviously noticed, their eyes meeting for a split second - and oh, the butterflies in her stomach - before both of them turned away, facing the desk in shame. From the corner of her eyes, Weiss noticed the leader's hands closing into firm fists.

_Dammit, what's bothering her so much?_

She wanted to ask. The question was hovering over her lips, ready to fall off, in a strangled cry, but she stopped herself.

_What if it's because of me? What if I only make it worse?_

Mr. Port clapped his hands together, bringing Weiss back to reality. She looked around her, noticing with a sigh the students whose head nearly met the desks, yet kept struggling to take notes.

_Not the best place to ask anyway..._

She gulped a second time. She had to face her, she had to ask. She needed to know - what was happening to them? What did it mean? Where did they stand? What were they?

There was this possibility. This tiny, yet shining possibility. The one that seemed so great, so unattainable, that she would forget how to breathe whenever it presented itself in her mind.

And as the hour grew closer to an end, her thoughts wandered into dangerous territories, sinking further and further into the depth of her own wishes.

* * *

The bell resonated throughout the classroom, bringing smiles on the students' bored faces, some of them actually stretching their arms above their heads as if they just woke up.

Weiss got up, resisting the urge to turn her head to look at Ruby - she brushed it off, simply walking towards the door, though her desire was so strong it almost hurt her neck. She made a few steps into the corridor before she felt her sleeve being pulled back.

"Ah!"

She jerked her arm forward before turning around, facing the young leader, whose eyes were wide, staring back at her.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you..." the small girl sputtered.

Weiss coughed. "It's nothing." A faint blushed covered her cheeks. "What did you want?"

"Erm... Eh... It's just-"

She was interrupted as a student bumped into her, continuing his route without sparing them a second glance.

Weiss stepped towards him, her eyebrows furrowing over her obviously discontent eyes.

"How-"

But Ruby grabbed her arm, forcing to step backward.

"It's fine Weiss, we were in the way."

Weiss blinked, once. Her angst was gone, strangely, she couldn't even recall it being here in the first place - and felt slightly ashamed that she let her emotions take the better of her, for something as silly as this. In front of Ruby, especially.

Then she blinked, a second time, realizing with a pinch in her heart how close they were - physically, standing next to one other, Ruby's fingers still wrapped around her forearm. Whatever emotion displayed on her face seemingly made Ruby grow conscious of her own hand, as she retrieved it quickly. The heiress stared as she saw the muscles in the young girl's jaw move, silently. She noticed the radiant red blooming on her face, and her heart skipped yet another beat, as wishful thinking filled her mind.

No words.

Weiss's hand twitched.

_I can't let this go to waste._

She grabbed the girl by the arm and began walking, her eyes scanning the corridors.

"W-Weiss, what-"

Without looking back, she led her far away from the crowded place, before finally releasing her grasp. Ruby was staring at her, eyes blinking a few times.

"It's- so that no one would bump into you", Weiss explained.

She didn't give time for her cheeks to redden before she continued.

"What did you want to say?"

Ruby looked taken aback, her eyes wide in surprise. Once calm had regained her, she lowered her gaze, staring at her feet as she pressed her lips together - or perhaps she was biting it?

"Erm, it's just... You know, we have our lesson later but um, I wonder if we could, um... cancel it?"

_Cancel... it?_

The words resonated in her mind. A strange combination of words that suddenly became foreign to her, and she had to repeat it slowly before she could grasp the meaning of them again.

"Cancel... it..."

"Is- is it not okay?"

_Of course, it's not. We can barely communicate and you want to cancel the only thing we know have in common, the only few moments of hope I have of actually being closer to you, and you ask me if this is okay?_

"Why? Why do you want to cancel?" she asked, her gaze lost somewhere.

"I- I wanted to know if you'd rather hang out instead?"

Weiss finally put her eyes on her.

She stared.

Then she released a heavy sigh, lowering her head.

"You dunce..." she rubbed her hand against her forehead. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I should have?"

The heiress lifted her head up, now fixing her gaze on the girl facing her.

"Well I thought... I thought... you..."

Ruby seemed to suddenly realize, her cheeks growing faintly red as her lips curved into a tiny smile.

"You thought?" she teased.

"Oh, shut it!" the heiress shot.

She turned on her heels, showing her back to her leader. She took a step forward, biting her lips.

"I'll wait for you the dorms."

And she left.

* * *

_Forty six._

Her heart was thundering strongly inside her chest, marking the seconds passing by. Her eyes were fixed on her clock as she pulled on the hem of her skirt nervously. Skirt that she had smoothed down about twenty times already, making absolutely sure there was remotely no imperfection on its folds.

She was sitting on her bed, waiting for Ruby to finally come in. Blake was laying on her own bed, aside from her, her fingers carefully clutching the cover of yet another book.

_Forty seven._

Truth be told, she had never expected the leader to take more than ten minutes to join her - yet there she was, waiting since...

_Forty eight._

The clock suddenly showed, as if taunting her. Time was passing by, and she had been staring at the clock since it had displayed the numbers "05:26" on it, precisely. Without taking into consideration that she had been busy preparing herself in the bathroom for about thirteen minutes.

_It's been over half an hour, what in the world is she doing? Did she get lost? Oh dear, she probably got lost._

She released the tension growing in her shoulder, gritting her teeth as she realized Blake was staring at her, an ever-lasting smile covering her lips.

"What's so funny?" she dared finally ask.

"Oh, nothing..." the dark-haired girl hummed innocently - too innocently to be sincere.

"It surely doesn't look like 'nothing' if you ask me."

The tall girl slowly took a seated position, her gaze still fixed on Weiss's.

"Trust me, you'll find out soon enough."

_Find out what?_

Weiss parted her lips, the question ready to flow from in between, when the door suddenly opened, obnoxiously loud.

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed almost instinctively.

"Heh..."

Yang appeared by the door, a nasty smile covering the lower side of her face.

"Well, looks like someone is eager to see my baby sis!"

_Ugh, shut it._

Yang merely laughed, her voice turning into a red taunting flag. But then the blonde-haired girl stepped aside, revealing the so-awaited guest behind her. The heiress nearly jumped at her, ready to shot whatever she had been holding those past thirty minutes. Surprise, content, angst, all swirled inside of her, forcing her body to stand up instantly. Her mouth opened, but remained silent.

She only realized how ridiculous she looked a few seconds later, as she noticed the silent smirks Yang and Blake exchanged. She tightened her lips together in response, trying to shape a blank expression on her features, but there was nothing she could do to prevent a bright, glowing shade of pink from covering the skin of her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Weiss, I just - uh, had some stuff to do beforehand", Ruby apologized while stepping closer to her, her voice mixed with remorse.

"What 'stuff'?" the heiress immediately asked, sounding way more defensive than she intended.

There was a glint of worry in her silver eyes, to which Weiss simply shrugged, deciding it was a lot more reasonable to not press the issue. She turned around to walk towards her bag, fervently checking what it contained as if she were actually preparing it.

Hesitating for a few seconds, she finally dared ask.

"So, where are we going?"

"Oh, uh, wherever, I guess."

She had expected Blake and Yang to pry, to ask why they were not going to the music school. But neither of them seemed to care, as Blake was stealthily trying to steal Yang's notes out of her bag, obviously aware that Yang saw and was smirking at her.

They simply didn't care.

_I have a bad feeling about this._

She gulped painfully. She pointed towards the door, motioning Ruby to go out, following her step.

* * *

They arrived in town while no word was ever spoken.

A few clouds tainted the otherwise blue sky, the sun hiding behind them only occasionally. There was a light breeze that could make the poorly dressed shiver, but fortunately for them, they had picked enough layers of clothes to feel comfortable in this warm winter weather.

Ruby was walking unexpectedly slowly. She seemed to be staring at the bitumen, but her gaze was empty, she simply wasn't there, but again, just lost in her thoughts. She spared the heiress no glance, and kept on walking, as if she were in fact alone, as if Weiss was not by her side, no clue as to where exactly they were heading.

"Um, Ruby?"

The girl perked up at her name, looking around for less than a second before her eyes set on Weiss.

"Ah- yes?"

They stopped walking. Weiss sighed heavily, rubbing her hand against her forehead.

"Would you like to grab something to eat?" she asked, staring at the bakery house a few feet away from them.

"S-Sure."

They stepped into the shop, where Ruby asked for cookies, which Weiss insisted on paying. Despite Ruby being utterly against the idea, the heiress was still a lot more convincing and managed to win their ten-minutes-long debate.

And so they left, a bag full of dozens of cookies in Ruby's hands. They walked aimlessly again for a few minutes before they agreed to settle in a park, after Weiss's suggestion.

Truthfully, she was waiting for the both of them to sit down so they could talk and escape this suffocating silence, hopeful that Ruby would finally explain her peculiar behavior. Unfortunately for her, while the first part of her wish found out to be an easy task, the second part revealed itself to be... slightly more difficult.

They were both sat on a bench, legs unconsciously crossed in the exact same manner, which Weiss only noticed a few minutes later. Ruby sat to her left, though she seemed to be entranced in the view of her cookies, which she was eating with extreme cautious, frowning at every unwanted noise she made.

"Do you want one?" she asked.

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure? I mean... you didn't buy anything for yourself and I mean, it would be unfair to, I mean..."

"Ruby, it's fine. I'm fine."

She wanted to throw this ridiculous conversation away and replace it with words that would actually be important and valuable, yet the small girl simply nodded and kept on eating, a little more confident than she was a few minutes prior. The white-haired girl stared at her, ignoring the fact Ruby was aware of it. She only detached her eyes from her once she realized that Ruby didn't seem too keen on speaking.

Weiss stared up at the sky, which was beginning to look into a mixture of gray and blue. A few stars began to come into view, and she busied herself with trying to predict where the next one might appear. She released another breath, realizing that the stars were far too slow to show up and it was becoming a little too boring.

She closed her eyes for a bit. The breeze was becoming a little colder against her fragile skin, and she couldn't help but wonder if Ruby was warm enough. Asking her was tempting, a nice, easy way to end the heavy atmosphere, but her heart stutters as she recalled how gentle and warm Ruby's hand when holding her own.

She missed it.

She missed that warmth. She missed that comfort. She missed that feeling of security, of knowing that they were _holding hands_ and it felt so right.

She would never gather enough strength and courage to actually admit it aloud, but she grew strong and brave enough to at least admit it to herself. It sent multiple emotions through her body, shivers, butterflies, it made her close to losing countenance, but she dared not allow herself to deny her feelings any longer.

_I am Weiss Schnee. Not a coward._

She repeated the thought a few more times before opening her eyelids again, gaze still fixated on the sky. She noticed, with an inner smile, the presence of her few more stars. She took a deep breath, the cold air she inhaled serving as a reminder that the day was coming to an end. It was the finally push she needed.

"Why did you want to go out?" she asked, her voice strained and shaking after not being solicited for too long.

She heard movement to her left, and she willed herself not to look. She knew Ruby was staring at her, and she could not meet her eyes. Not right now.

"I-"

The single word was cut short, as if Ruby had tried to take it back at the last moment.

"It's-"

Weiss finally lowered her gaze.

"Just-"

Ruby had twisted her body to face her, her left hand grabbing the end of the bench while the other one was still holding the bakery bag.

"I just-"

Despite the multiple layers of clothes, Weiss could see her chest moving rapidly, in and out, erratically. Brief trails of white smoke escaped from her lips, flying away, quickly caught by the next and so on.

But most importantly, her eyes. Wide, staring at her desperately. They were begging. Begging for her to understand.

"I..."

Weiss's hand twitched, nearly ignoring its possessor to grab the warm hand it missed so much, but Weiss regained control before.

"Ruby."

She hated this, she hated seeing Ruby this down, this distressed. Because her desire to hold her in her arms would become so much more unbearable. She had no idea what to do. Her hand twitched again.

"Ruby, calm down."

"It's- it's just..."

"Ruby, stop."

Her voice was firm, forcing reality back into Ruby's mind. The leader finally stopped, her mouth closing as she gulped, frowning in the process.

"I'm so sorry..."

"There is nothing worth apologizing for."

"But-"

"We're not in a hurry, are we?" Ruby shook her head. "Good. Just take your time, clear your thoughts a bit then talk to me, alright?"

"That's not it..."

"Then was is it?"

Ruby paused, and Weiss took this opportunity to readjust her body, facing Ruby, as a silent ' _I'm listening_ '. She clenched her hands together, firmly, to hopefully suppress any desire to grab Ruby's. It obviously failed, as it trembled again.

"I'm just..." she paused again. "Scared", she breathed out. "I guess..."

"Scared? What of?"

"Talking about it", she replied, her gaze drifting away only for a second.

"About?"

_Why is she so vague? Should I really ask so many questions? Does she want to talk about it or does she just need a little push?_

The girl turned away to sit normally, both of her hands now clenching the bag on her lap.

"I talked. To Yang."

Her voice was rushed, almost too fast for Weiss to hear, who only remained quiet, still haunted by her own questions.

"About... five days ago? Six? Something like that? I don't know..." she pressed her lips together to humidify them. "Well, it's more like she talked to me, really..."

She smiled, though that smile wavered shortly after it had appeared.

"She um... she told me she was bisexual."

Weiss's eyes widened in surprise before she quickly regained control of herself.

"Bisexual?" she asked, echoing her own thoughts.

_Isn't it a bit like me? Or not really? Uh..._

"Yeah, it means she likes, um, boys... and girls, too."

Weiss almost jerked back in surprise, but controlled herself nonetheless.

_Okay, okay Weiss, this is the perfect opportunity, don't mess up._

"What-" she began.

_Breathe. Don't mess up!_

"What do you think about it?" Her voice was unnecessarily high, but she ignored it and silently prayed Ruby would follow.

"What do you mean?" she answered hesitantly.

"Do you think it's... wrong?"

"No! No. Do you?"

Weiss silently sighed. "No."

She suddenly realized how suspicious she might have been, which was confirmed by Ruby's surprised expression.

"I mean, I just wanted to make sure... I mean, since you were so bothered..."

"Oh, no, it's not because I have an issue with it!" Ruby quickly clarified, almost mixing her words together.

"What is it then?" Weiss replied, gulping.

"It's just- I just- I... I'm just... confused."

"Confused?"

She parted her lips, inhaling a large amount of air while closing her eyes, before exhaling, eyes still shut.

"I just- I don't know, I've been doing all these things and I thought it was normal because- well I'm not sure, I just thought it was natural, but then I realized that maybe it was not and I was very confused because things were awkward- and Yang just said this to me, and I think she thought it would help, but it didn't because I'm still confused and I don't know what to do about this- because I mean- liking boys doesn't mean you like all boys, so I guess liking girls doesn't mean you like all girls, but I'm confused because what does it mean to like someone? How do I know? It's just really- really- really hard to put words on my feelings because it's just a bunch of random emotions that make absolutely no sense to me and- I don't know- I..."

She took a deep breath, her lips shaking, tremors spreading through her entire body before she hid her face behind the bag of cookies.

"I mean- I just really liked spending time with you and I didn't think much about it, it was just really fun, but then it was different and I don't know why or how- I just had these strange feelings and I realized that I didn't have them for anyone else- and Yang- and I- I just really want to hug you and kiss you but I shouldn't- but just thinking about it makes my heart go faster- holy cookie what am I saying?!"

Weiss froze. Actually, she had frozen the moment she understood Ruby might have a romantic interest.

She could feel her heart thumping in her chest, yet it was a distant emotion - her heart could have been yelling, begging, heck, it could have stopped, right then, right there, she would not have cared. She was too dazed to care.

A certain numbness had claimed control over her body as if it was not her own anymore, and her mind was breaking free from it, flying away in content. Ruby's words echoed in her head, overshadowing every other emotion she had.

It was an abstract, immaterial feeling that was soon shattered by Ruby.

"I'm sorry, I know you like Jaune, I should have never said all that but I just thought that maybe, just maybe, you-"

"I don't like Jaune."

The reaction was immediate.

Ruby suddenly - and finally - detached her face from the bag of cookies, which _nearly_ fell forgotten onto the floor. She gaped at her, silver eyes wide, a mixture of shock and content pooling into them.

The words just left Weiss's mouth naturally, though that was not quite right. It was instinctive, rushed, words that just _had_ _to_ be said before it became too late. The mention of Jaune was an intrusion, a disruption of the moment the two of them were sharing. She did not want to ruin this moment, nor did she want Ruby to apologize for her courage. For revealing what she wanted to be hidden. Weiss admired it, silently.

"You- what- but-"

Weiss felt strangely glad to recognize both the confusion and content on Ruby's expression - truth be told, the leader did a poor job at hiding them. But after all those days spent in silence and dodging glances, finally regaining the ability to read her emotions felt oh so rewarding.

"I have never liked Jaune. Honestly", Weiss offered a slightly mocking smile, "I have no clue how you even came to that conclusion."

"But... you were staring at him at lunch and-"

"I was _not_ staring! I may have glanced at him the way I could have glanced at anyone else, but it meant nothing."

Of course, this was an innocent lie - she _had_ been staring, only to wonder whether or not Ruby had an interest in him. But, this was a truth to save for later.

"But then, why didn't you just tell me?"

... Or maybe not.

"I just... didn't know how to..." the heiress admitted, lowering her head in hopes of concealing her faintly pink cheeks.

"You could have just said it the way you did just now!"

Weiss looked up, ready to reply, but was not given the chance to.

"I thought you liked him! And I thought I had to help you date him because I was your friend but... but..."

It was only at this moment that Weiss understood the pain and confusion she had caused the younger girl. She had been too caught up in her own tourbillon of emotions, and she blamed herself for not realizing it sooner.

"I'm sorry..."

She had not even realized that her right hand went on its own to grab Ruby's left, crushing the cookies besides them. She was about to retrieve it when Ruby shifted her hand to grab hers, firmly. She felt her throat growing considerably dryer, as well as a strong pulse struggling inside her chest.

"I really thought you were going to date him..." she said. "I mean, everyone knows he likes you..." She left out a faint laugh sounded anything but happy.

"I'm really sorry." She truly was.

She glanced sideways, only to notice that the only people left were also the ones leaving.

Reuniting strength and courage in a single, deep breath, she shifted her body to get closer to Ruby, silently resting her forehead on her shoulder as she gasped for air soundlessly, surprised by her own boldness.

As Ruby did not say a thing, she considered pulling away to apologize, when an arm wrapped around her left side, keeping her close.

They remained in that position, wordlessly, for a few more minutes, before Weiss quietly broke the silence.

"I thought it would be better if I didn't tell you."

She felt Ruby's hand move on her back, though she couldn't quite decipher the movement with exactitude.

"Why?"

The body she was resting on shivered slightly as the sound swayed through it. Weiss focused on the steady, yet strong breathing that animated Ruby's chest, a soft soothing melody. For a reason that was still unknown to her, she wanted to cry. She could not fathom why her eyes stung, or why she actually had to close her eyelids, gates that would keep the tears in.

"I... was afraid you'd realize I didn't like boys."

She felt Ruby grow stiff, her chest not moving anymore. The arm around her tightened its grip, and while she found herself to be trapped inside a shielding cage.

"You don't like boys?" Ruby repeated, her chest finally remembering how to process air.

"I don't..."

She opened her eyes again and saw the way Ruby's throat tensed.

"So... Do you... like... like girls?"

She gave her hand a squeeze, which she contently sent back.

Ruby said nothing, and they were bathed in silence again. Yet, this was a silence neither of them was eager to disturb.

The moon was now above them, proudly brightening the shade of dark grey surrounding it. The few floor lamps built in the park provided them with an extra source of light. They revealed the trees, whose branches swayed slightly back and forth, a few forgotten leaves crawling on the cold ground, passing by them, reflecting the sound of the wind. A few whispers in the distance were drowned by the soft hooting of the nearby owls, humming to each other.

There was no doubt that the wind carried around some scents from afar, yet all Weiss could smell was the aroma of roses. She shifted against Ruby's shoulder, nuzzling closer to her neck. A scarf encircled it, but the fragrance of the shampoo she always used still lingered, and Weiss carefully inhaled it, embraced by the memories of the few hugs they exchanged.

Deprived of the sun's heat, they snuggled closer, replacing it with the warmth they both naturally held.

Slightly nervous, Weiss shut her eyes.

"You know... we could... if you want to."

"What?"

"Kiss."

Her heart missed a beat, in synch with the word. She ignored its persistent struggle, focusing on the girl she held instead. Receiving no response, she, although sad, pulled back, opening her eyes only to meet hers.

Her cheeks were covered in red, spreading to the clothing covering her neck. Her mouth was open, shocked, and Weiss couldn't help but stare at it a little longer than necessary.

"If you want to", she added, quietly.

The younger girl pressed her lips together, humidifying them in the process, which Weiss unconsciously mimicked.

"I... want to."

A smile forced itself on Weiss's expression in response, and Ruby giggled nervously, hiding her face with her right hand, her left one still holding Weiss's.

"O-Okay... Um..." the heiress stuttered.

"Are you sure about this?" Ruby asked, peeking through her fingers.

"Yes. Now stay quiet, please."

She noticed Ruby swallowed, and the nervousness was contagious. She used her left hand to brush Ruby's away from her face, though hers remained there, caressing her cheek slightly.

It felt strange. Unusual. She had never touched anyone else this way and feared that perhaps it was too much, but the blush that tainted Ruby's cheeks calmed the cacophony inside her head. She ignored it.

She extended her fingers, cupping Ruby's face. She knew full well that her own face was crimson, but she ignored it as well. She ignored it all.

Tilting her head to the side, she leaned slowly, until their forehead touched, and their lips brushed against one other. A caress as light as a feather, so soft it sent a shiver down her nape.

She felt Ruby press her mouth bashfully against her own, and the thought itself brought satisfaction to her heart. It was warm, so warm. A hand carefully wandered by her hip, resting on her soft curve.

The wind was dancing, the owls were hooting, people were whispering, but all she could hear was the strong beating of her own heart and their shaking exhalations.

She lingered a bit longer, drawing lazy circles with her thumb on the younger girl's jaw before she retreated.

She immediately went back to Ruby's shoulder, hiding the furious blush on her face. Her mind was filled with ' _oh my gosh I kissed Ruby_ ', but most importantly, she wanted to know how they both felt about this.

"What did you think?" she mumbled, realizing only afterward that perhaps it wasn't audible enough.

Her hand was abandoned, as she felt two arms wrapped around her tightly, which she reciprocated. Ruby nuzzled her neck, humming against it.

"I think my heart needs to process this", she replied, her voice shaking.

Weiss let out a nervous chuckle.

"Mine too."

Regrettably, neither of them was granted time, as Ruby's scroll suddenly emitted a loud "Ting!", startling both of them. They pulled back, Ruby retrieving the device from her purse.

"It's Yang."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Oh, perfect."

Ruby pressed a finger to the scroll, squinting at it in the process.

"She sent a message asking us to get back soon because it's getting late." She sighed. "I'm not a kid anymore, I don't need a curfew!"

"Well, she has a point. The school does have a curfew."

"Why would we need one? I can handle my own!"

"Yes, yes I know."

Weiss smirked, the girl alongside her trying to hide her own smile behind a poorly-made pout. She clapped her hands together, cleaning her throat before she stood up, now looking down at Ruby.

"So, shall we go?"

The leader nodded, before gathering the bag of cookies in one hand and joining her partner. They made their leave, walking slowly towards

"Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"You still don't want a cookie?"


	9. Through the blizzard

With the curfew hovering in their mind, Ruby and Weiss both agreed to promptly make their way to the dorms.

Ruby did not insist on conversing, which Weiss felt grateful for. Her thoughts happened to be a confused mess, stumbling upon each other and stuttering in their attempt at logic. She needed that silence, one that would allow her to process the information she had just received.

Ruby... she does have feelings for me... 

Their fingers still laced together, she tightened her hold on Ruby's hand. The realization that her feelings might not be unrequited warmed her chest, despite the cold breeze tickling their noses, or the snow their feet hurriedly pressed against.

Their hands eventually had to untangle as they entered the airship. Ruby took a seat, and Weiss followed her soon after, not-so-discreetly scooting closer to her. She glanced at the younger girl, their eyes meeting for a second before they both averted their gazes.

She expected the quietness to grow awkward but... the reality happened to be far from it. They did not speak, as nothing needed to be said in this moment - not because they refused to, but there was simply no need for words. In this instant, they bathed in the comfort and relief their shared moment had brought.

Earlier... I did... I did kiss her...

The memory alone was enough to set her heart aflame. She struggled to comprehend how bold she got, and just failed to believe that she actually had it in her to kiss the person she had been having feelings for.

She glanced at her partner again, this time catching a glance of her face. Ruby had a smile stuck to her lips, a tiny yet very much present smile that pierced Weiss's chest straight into her heart. And the cheerfulness happened to be contagious, as it somehow spread to her.

That was until they approached Beacon, and the apprehension settled in. She was certain, now, that Yang and Blake knew about her - and most likely Ruby's - feelings. She could find no other explanation for their peculiar behavior. 

Ugh, they are probably waiting for us. I can already picture them smirking at us.

Admittedly, it was comforting to think that they would be supportive, but she certainly did not want to deal with their teasing.

Indifferent to her concerns, the airship landed, and they had to step out, immediately running away from the cold to rush into the dormitory building. The halls were surprisingly empty, only a few chatters echoing from afar could be heard.

In between these stringent walls, Weiss could feel her heart increase in rate.

I wish I could hold her hand again...

But before she could gather the courage to follow her wish, they arrived in front of their door. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds, the nervousness building up until Weiss finally decided to reach for the doorknob.

"Wait." Ruby whispered.

The heiress looked at her curiously, even though Ruby was actively avoiding her gaze, too busy fumbling with the hem of her - combat - skirt.

"What is it?" she replied, trying to speak low enough that neither Yang or Blake would hear.

"Before we head in, can we... can I... huh..."

Her tiny fists were nervously crushing the bag containing her cookies, while she mumbled a few word quietly. Too quietly for Weiss to understand. Or at least, she wasn't certain she had understood.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Can I... can I kiss you pl-please?" she sputtered so quickly that Weiss could barely even decipher it.

But yes, she had heard it right, and she suddenly felt a blush sear through her cheeks. She tried to formulate a word, maybe even two, but her throat had suddenly become parched, unable to let any syllabus slide through.

So she simply nodded instead.

She witnessed Ruby's face flush a brighter shade of pink as well, before the smaller girl trotted closer to her, until the distance separating their bodies was left to a few mere inches.

Cute.

She timidly closed the gap between their lips, and Weiss could almost swear her heart was melting at the touch. She pressed her mouth against Ruby's, closing her eyes to savor the moment, to engrave the sweet sensations into her memory. She silently pleaded her not to withdraw, not yet, not now. She wasn't yet ready to wait until the next time they could do this, and sincerely doubted she would ever be. Ruby seemed to notice her unwillingness to pull away, as she smiled and giggled against her lips. She lingered there for a few more seconds before finally stepping back, much to Weiss's dissatisfaction.

The heiress pressed a hand to her lips, refusing to let go of the warmness Ruby had spread to them.

"Let's go, then?"

"Okay..."

She let Ruby open the door this time, which she held open to allow Weiss in, before following her into the room as well.

As expected, Blake and Yang were awake, and quite obviously waiting for them. Both were standing up, Yang leaning against their bunk bed for support. And both were grinning maliciously.

"So, I take it that it went well?"

"What are you on about, Yang?" Weiss shot defensively. A matter of habits.

Then Blake pointed at her head - her ears. Her Faunus ears.

"Oh."

"Yup!" Yang laughed. "Who would've thought the Ice Queen was gay for my sister!"

Weiss's mind rushed to the hallway, right in front of their door, where... Ruby... had asked... to kiss her...

Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second! That means... Blake heard that?

Wide eyed, the heiress glanced at her partner, instinctively seeking a reaction that would help her judge the situation. She found Ruby trying to hide her obviously flustered face with her hands, which caused her own cheeks to turn bright red.

"Aw, they're blushing, how cute!" Yang suddenly exclaimed.

"Sh-Shut up!"

"Now, now, don't get too cocky, princess. Ruby is still my baby sis, and I'll still have to make sure that you won't break her-"

"Yang, no, stop."

Ruby suddenly stepped in, the color of her cheeks complementing the fiery look in her eyes. She was obviously nervous, the bag of cookies within her hands was held tightly, but rarely was she seen with such determination painted on her face. The mere sight made Weiss's breath run short.

"I'm not a little kid anymore", their leader articulated clearly. "I... might not really know what I'm doing or where this is going... but... I trust Weiss."

And in that moment, it took all of Weiss's willpower to stay in this room, and not drag Ruby outside to kiss her again.

Blake would hear anyway. Ugh.

She sighed to herself instead, a love-struck expression adorning her facial features as she stared at her partner. Truth be told, neither she had a clue what their partnership could blossom into, but the knowledge that Ruby had faith in her tingled her chest with pride.

It took her a few long seconds to acknowledge the other duo's presence in the room. She glanced at the blonde, whose purple eyes were wide open in shock, although a grin was soon replacing her surprise. A content, proud grin.

"Look, look! My lil' sis is growing up!" She glanced at Blake, who rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Yang! I said stop!" Ruby whined.

"I know, I know..."

She took a few step towards her sister, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"If you really feel that way, then... I don't have any choice but to respect it."

"Th-Thanks?" Ruby sputtered.

The heiress heaved a sigh of relief.

It's good to know we have Yang's support.

Said girl twisted around to face her, fully displaying her set of teeth.

"Still. Break her heart and I'll break one of your kidneys."

"Yang!"

"Sorry, Rubes. Had to. Obligations. Responsibilities. All that."

"I understand", Weiss interjected, nodding her heart. "But for your personal information... I do not plan on losing a kidney."

She flashed a smile at Ruby, hoping the message would get through. And it did, as her smile was reciprocated shortly after.

"I give them four days before they're all over each other and kickin' us out of the room." Yang loudly whispers to Blake, with no intention of being discrete.

"Four days? You're optimistic."

Weiss rolled her eyes, exasperated, before grabbing her nightgown and heading for the bathroom.

"I'm going to change." She announced. "Hopefully, when I'm back, you will be done with your nonsense."

These two, I swear. Yang is having a terrible influence on Blake.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed in her nightly attire, Yang and Blake were both on their respective beds. Blake was scribbling some notes on her textbook, whereas Yang seemed busy with her Scroll. Ruby was staying near the door, her own pajama within her palm, now devoid of cookies. She offered a clumsy smile before taking Weiss's place in the bathroom.

It's all so... weird. Not in a bad way. Just... in an unusual way. But a pleasant way. A way I'd like to get used to.

She tried - and failed - to conceal her smile.

"Be careful with that smile, you might get cheek cramps." Blake blurted out, followed by Yang's snigger.

"Oh, quiet you two!"

Let me appreciate the moment, why don't you!

She groaned slightly before she walked to her bed. She rested on it, laying her history book on her lap - because there was no way Weiss Schnee would go to sleep without reviewing her lesson beforehand. She already knew the basis of it, but still insisted on learning every single word of it, down to the commas and semicolons. Her feelings being quite likely reciprocated won't hinder her studying - in truth, she really just wanted an excuse to avoid her comrades' remarks.

Ruby soon finished slipping into her nightwear, and excitedly erupted from the bedroom like a storm before jumping on her bed, right above Weiss's. And as hard as the heiress tried to focus, she found herself to be too elated with the presence of her partner to actually make sense of the words she was reading.

She heard Ruby fumbling with her schoolbag, but couldn't figure out her actions just by the sounds. She shifted her concentration back on her lesson, forcefully shoving the words into her brain.

She saw an arm appear from the bed above hers, leaving a folded piece of paper onto her mattress before retreating back where it came from. Curiosity overtaking the entirety of her focus, she grabbed and opened it, her eyes scanning through a familiar writing.

'do you want to eat lunch w me tomorrow? we can grab food & eat outside'

The message was signed with a little heart.

It's so... so... childish. And so adorable too. Ugh Ruby, what am I going to do with you?

She pondered for her second, before scribbling a 'yes' on her paper and sending it back to its sender.

I guess that is something we can figure out tomorrow...

More than a desire to spend some time away from familiar eyes, she knew the two of them had to talk eventually. A part of her internally praised Ruby for her initiative.

Well, I guess this is confusing for her too...

Ruby switched off her bed lamp, followed by Yang, then Weiss, and finally Blake - until darkness swamped the room, the moonlight seeping through the window, allowing their eyes to discern shapes if they squinted hard enough.

Despite the obscurity weighing on her eyelids, Weiss couldn't find the will to sleep. New questions had swirled in her head, new emotions had lodged into her heart. She wasn't quite sure how to make sense of it all, the anticipation certainly not helping.

What are we? What does she want us to be?

The question rotated in her mind, helplessly looking for an answer that was obviously not in any corner of her mind.

I mean, we did kiss... twice... and both of us initiated...

Her heart seemed to twitch at the memory.

And we did admit to having some sort of feelings for each other... But we never actually named it... It's undeniable that there is something between us, something that goes beyond partnership or even friendship... but would she actually agree to be officially more than that?

Ruby quite obviously lacked experience when it came to romance - but after all, so did she.

I don't think I've ever liked anyone that way...

She could feel her insides churning nervously yet pleasantly, her cheeks reddening from the heat, and her heart racing from excitement and... and love.

The prospect of an actual romance with Ruby set her heart aflame, sweltering within her veins, yet bringing a gentle warmth to her chest. The realization that Ruby did, in fact, return her feelings, even to some extent only - it brought her comfort, one she had barely hoped of ever experiencing, one she had vigorously tried to give up on. And yet, this one comfort was nothing but present.

But would she be ready for a relationship? Would I be ready?

She found it especially hard to remain lucid when her feelings were swarming all over and obtruding her rationality. Still, through her wishful thinking, she could remember the first day they met. How that dunce bumped into her suitcases full of dust, how silly she looked when she tried to apologize. She could remember how difficult cooperation had been, how quick she was to think of her leader as childish and unworthy of her title.

But it all changed.

Ruby certainly had her quirks, and she sometimes happened to be infuriating. But she was most definitely not childish, and she had proven herself to be a leader her teammates could believe in. As painful as it was for her ego, Weiss could only admit that she would not switch her leader for anyone, not even herself. But more than her ability to lead the team... Ruby had shown a maturity the heiress had never expected. The way she could sing was breathtaking, how she could pour her emotions so earnestly into her voice, how she could create just the right atmosphere to make Weiss feel accepted...

We've been through a lot, already... And okay, communication hasn't always been easy but... we can work on it.

She clutched at the fabric covering her chest, the back of her other hand pressed against her lips.

I need to find a way to ask her out.

Her thoughts filled with multiple scenarios, she finally drifted to sleep.

***

As eager as she was, noon had come quicker than she had anticipated.

They had spent most of the morning silently locking eyes and blushing, ignoring their teammates' grins, until they finally reunited at the yard, hands full with the food they had previously grabbed at the cafeteria.

The place was crowded, as expected, but they managed to find a spot surrounded by people whose faces they could not recognize.

Although the snow had melted within the previous hours, the winter weather was still very much present. It provided them with a good reason to sit close to each other - close enough that their legs would touch.

Despite the knowledge that they could discuss without a worry, a heavy silence weighed on the two of them, one that definitely didn't feel satisfying. They could avoid communication by staring at their food, but their distraction soon disappeared into their mouths, and they were eventually left to awkwardly stare in the opposite direction.

Come on. You can do this. Just start a conversation, it shouldn't be that hard.

She gulped, the gears in her brain in full action, unlike her vocal cords.

"It's- um... It's good to finally be away from Blake and Yang..."

Ruby turned to stare at her.

Dammit no, not by criticizing her sister!

"I mean!" She quickly added. "At least they're not here to tease us..."

The corner of the small girl's lips turned up.

"Yeah... I'm sorry about that."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I mean... I did ask Yang for advice... if I didn't, she wouldn't know anything. Probably."

"Wait, you asked her for advice? I thought you said she talked to you!"

Ruby sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, her face reddening slightly.

"Well... yes... but only because I asked her questions about... love and stuff. I think she quickly understood what was going on then..."

Weiss's heart skipped a beat - that was her chance, there, now.

"So... what was going on?" She asked, her throat feeling oddly scorch.

"You know what was going on! I told you!"

Ruby's hands were waving frantically in front of her, embarrassment tainting her cheeks with hues of pink.

"I know, you dolt. I just... I just want to make sure there is no misunderstanding."

"Oh."

They stared at each other silently for a few seconds, searching for the right words, until Ruby finally inhaled deeply, eyes now firmly set on the ground.

"I... I like you, Weiss. Not in a 'friend' way..." She bashfully scratched her cheek. "I mean... I like spending time with you and talking to you, and just being around you, because it always feels... special? Especially when we - when we hold hands or k-kiss... and I'd like to spend more special moments like that, with you... I mean, if that's alright..."

Weiss silently scooted closer to her partner, discreetly intertwining their fingers. She squeezed them tightly, trying to cope with the sudden swelling of her heart.

"Do you feel the same way?" Ruby asked.

Weiss squeezed her hand again as a reply, stubbornly avoiding her eyes.

"What does that even mean?"

Another squeeze.

"Hey! You were the one who wanted to avoid misunderstandings..."

"Ugh..."

She brought her second hand to cover her flustered face, biting her lip to conceal a smile she knew was overjoyed.

"I do... I do feel the same way..."

Ruby snuggled closer to her side - and oh gosh, their shoulders were touching.

"So... what does that make us?"

"I don't know..." Ruby whispered. "I've never been in a relationship before, I don't really know what it's like..."

"I see..."

"Have you ever dated before?"

She stared at their entangled hands, knowing that Ruby was doing the same as she rested her head against her shoulder.

"I..."

Admittedly, Weiss had feared that question. Not that she thought Ruby would react negatively - but there was an odd sense of shame weighing on her, as if it were a part of her past she wished to bury and never bring up.

"Yes, I have..."

Am I supposed to continue?

"It was nothing special, though. Some popular boy asked me out, everyone thought we would make a great couple, so I said yes. I mean, he was nice and aesthetically pleasant, but... I didn't really feel anything. It didn't even last a month before I broke up."

"Did you know you weren't attracted to guys?"

"I had no clue." She sighed. "I had never been interested in boys... so I just thought romance wasn't my thing."

"Mh..."

She felt a thumb gently draw circles against the back of her hand. She reciprocated the gesture, feeling her chest heave with emotions.

"Did you... kiss?"

She sighed again.

"Ugh, we did... but it was just weird and awkward."

"So... you didn't like it?" There was a tinge of hope in the younger girl's voice.

Is she actually... jealous?

"It was... neutral. Empty."

"What about when we kissed?"

Yes. She is definitely jealous.

As adorable as she thought it was, she couldn't help but feel saddened by the realization. The last thing she wanted was for Ruby to feel threatened by anyone else in regards to what they shared, nor did she want her to feel as if her past relationship could possibly undermine her feelings.

"It was anything but neutral and empty." She admitted with a smile. "I was... really nervous. I wanted to do it right, because... it actually mattered to me."

"So... you liked it?"

She gulped. "Yes."

She felt Ruby shift against her, fidget even.

"Can I... do it again?"

Weiss looked at their surroundings - a few people glanced at them, but no one seemed to really care. So she tilted her head towards Ruby, leaning in quickly until their lips pressed against one other. She lingered for one more second before pulling away. She saw a pout appear where she had kissed and pressed a finger against it.

"Let's be careful with the PDA."

Ruby defiantly kissed the tip of her finger, which the heiress retracted with a smile.

"I'm serious. We need to stay decent in public."

"So... it'd be okay in private?"

"Maybe..." Weiss dragged out with a slow eye roll.

Ruby was ready to reply when a group of students near suddenly stood up to leave.

"Lunch break will be over soon..."

"In fourteen minutes." Weiss specified while looking at her Scroll.

"We still need to make a decision... about us."

Weiss nodded, and Ruby suddenly averted her gaze, pressing her lips together in thought - which, quite frankly, was adorable to the heiress.

"I'm... not really good with people..." Ruby suddenly began. "And I've never been in a relationship... what if I mess up? I really care about you and I don't want to mess up... which I probably will, because I'm not really smart, and I know you deserve so much more than someone like me but... I- I mean... I really, really like you, and oh Dog, you being my girlfriend sounds amazing - even though you really, really deserve better! But I've already said that..."

She took a deep breath.

"What I mean is that... that... I'm not a perfect person, and I'll probably mess up here and there, but... I would really do my best to treat you well, so, I mean, if you want to then-"

"Hold on a second." Weiss interrupted, holding one of her hand in the air, the other one still holding Ruby's.

"Huh?"

She glared at Ruby, a scowl carved on her features.

"You are not asking me out."

"Wh-what? Why not?"

Before the leader could be dumbstruck, Weiss placed two fingers on her cheek and pinch it slightly.

"You were the one to confess your feelings and the one who suggest we come here today. Let me do one thing at least, geez!"

"Y-You mean!"

"Hmph."

The heiress finally released her partner's cheek, her eyes softening as she caressed it instead, smiling at the blush that spread over it.

"You are right... you are not a perfect person. But that's just fine."

She bit her lips, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes for a mere second. She quickly collected herself, gulping difficultly.

"I am not perfect either. Even still... would you want to be my girlfriend?"

She thought her heart would implode when she saw Ruby's eyes widening, her mouth spreading the widest smile she had ever witnessed. The smaller girl launched at her, wrapping her arms around her shoulder as she buried her face in Weiss's chest - which the heiress was fairly certain was on fire by now.

"Yes yes yes yes please!"

Allowing a giggle to slip past her lips, the heiress pulled her partner closer to her, basking in the warmth of this tight embrace. She knew faces turned towards the commotion they caused, but she wouldn't dare to interrupt her girlfriend's happiness. Until eventually it became a matter of her own health.

"Ruby..." she squeaked. "You're suffocating me now..."

The girl pulled away, still smiling brightly as she held onto Weiss's hand excitedly.

"Oh wow, wow! I promise you that I will do my absolute best, I'll take care of you and treat you well and cherish you and I'll try to be the best girlfriend you could possibly have and oh my cookie, I have the prettiest girlfriend ever and I like you so, so, so much!"

Weiss poked the overly excited girl's forehead once, twice, a third time to make sure.

"PDA!" she reminded, even though her own cheeks hurt from the smile spreading across them.

"Awh, c'mon Weiss! Say you like me too!" Ruby whined.

She sighed, tilting her hand to look at Ruby, knowing full-well that she had lost control over the adoration that seeped into her sky-blue gaze. She tightened her grip on Ruby's hand, before raising it to her mouth and tenderly pressing her lips against it.

"I like you too, you dork."

Said girl released a sharp 'squee' sound in response.

Adorable.

"Can we smooch on it?"

"Ruby, no, save it for later."

"I have plenty saved for later. I have unlimited funds. You might be rich with money but I'm even richer with kisses."

"Ugh, you little -"

Her sentence was cut short as she dived in for another kiss, irrefutably longer than she had planned.

But she had no intention of dwelling on any guilt. Their arms wrapped tightly around each other, she let go of her worries, of her concerns. She trusted the powerful beatings of her heart, filling her senses with a blissful airiness. Her lips tenderly pressed against her girlfriends', she decided that in this moment, only they would matter. Everything else could wait.

Snowflakes trickled down the skies, swirling around them elegantly. Some reposed on their hair, others speckled on the ground around.

In all honesty, she said the truth.

Ruby wasn't perfect, neither was she.

And she would never expect her to be.

So long as she could intertwine their fingers, walk alongside her, sing together - it did not matter how vigorous the blizzard could be. She would treasure that tingling warmth in her chest.


	10. Epilogue

"Weiss!" Ruby hums as she wraps her arms around the taller girl's frame.

"Mh?"

"We need to get going!"

The heiress glances at the clock, only to notice that indeed, Ruby is right. It is soon time for them to head to the music room, where her leader can take the role of teacher - a role that both of them have come to appreciate. 

Truthfully, Weiss is eager. Over time, she has grown more comfortable during these sessions. Less afraid of judgment and more willing to merely enjoy the time she can spend with her partner - partner in more ways than one. 

She sighs. 

"I know, but I have to finish this assignment first..."

"Buh..."

Sitting at her desk, a pen in hand, she frowns at her paper. It is due tomorrow and she can't believe she let herself neglect her priorities to this extent. 

Ruby shifts slightly behind her, tightening her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, and the heiress lets herself lean into the touch. She notices with a smile that her partner is wearing the sweater she had bought for her. The realization awakens the butterflies in her stomach, that somehow never truly went away. 

"What's this?"

Weiss perks her head up, glancing at Ruby who has suddenly taken an interest in her pencil case. She is, in fact, pointing at a creased piece of paper. Without much thinking, Weiss grabs it, not quite sure what to expect. 

"Oh."

She conceals it within her first as soon as her eyes could see its content. This, unsurprisingly, only further increases Ruby's curiosity. 

"What? What is it?"

"It's- err- nothing important."

"It definitely is. Let me see!"

She ponders for a second. _Should I?_ It is a silly question. She is perfectly aware that she has nothing to lose. They can rely on each other, that much she knows, Ruby had made it her personal duty to hammer it into her head until it got through - and Weiss could be stubborn. 

"Promise you won't make fun of me?"

"I promise."

"Promise you won't think too much of it?"

"Yes, Weiss, I promise."

"Promise you-"

"Holy cookie Weiss, yes, I promise, and I promise to give you tons of cuddles later, no matter what that paper is. Just 'cause. I wanna."

Weiss sighs, a smile adorning her lips. Somehow, Ruby knows how to set her at ease, in the strangest way possible. 

"Alright."

She hands the sheet over, her fingers shaking ever so slightly in the process. She forgets how to breathe the moment Ruby takes a grasp of it. 

' _Mirror, tell me something, tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

_Mirror, what's inside me? Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

_Mirror, mirror, what's behind you? Save me from the things I see_

_I can keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me?_

_Mirror, mirror, tell me something, who's the loneliest of all?_

_I'm the loneliest of all_ ' 

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence settles in, causing the heiress to shift in her seat. 

"It's, um... It's something I wrote a few months ago when... things were a bit awkward between us."

"It's..."

But Ruby doesn't finish her sentence. She nuzzles her neck and releases an odd high-pitched whine. 

"What's wrong?" Weiss asks.

"I just- I just don't want you to be sad. Especially not lonely. No. You don't have the right to. I've decided. As a leader, and girlfriend, you cannot."

The heiress giggles slightly, a sense of relief overtaking her. 

"If only feelings responded to 'can' and 'cannot'. But it's not the case, Ruby."

"Don't care. If I have to, I'll make it so that you never have to feel lonely again."

Just that easily, the butterflies fly back in. Weiss feels her skin tingle at the sudden warmth spreading from her chest. 

"Can you give me a second?" she asks.

"What for?"

"I need to get ready. For the music lesson."

"What about the assignment?"

"It can wait till we get back."

Surprised yet pleased, the leader doesn't protest. She quite obviously realizes 'getting ready' is only an excuse to snatch some alone time, to process their conversation. She gets used to it - Weiss always needs that time with herself after opening up. 

So Weiss finds herself alone. Alone, but not lonely. 

But she knows she has to hurry. Holding her pencil tightly in her hand, she scribbles, erases a bit, scribbles again, until she eventually feels satisfied. 

Stuffing the paper inside her purse, she makes her way out of the room where she finds Ruby, a content yet nervous smile on her face. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry about me." She replies while running a hand through Ruby's hair, purposely making it messier.

"Hey!"

She giggles. "Let's go now." 

They wait until they are far enough from the school to finally intertwine their fingers. It has become a habit by now, a gesture so natural to them that they wouldn't even notice it, were it not for the fluttering feeling it provided them with. 

Weiss is the one to open the door to the music room. While she usually feels the tension fly away from her body as soon as she enters, this time it clings to her, added to it a familiar sense of apprehension. 

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I just..."

How to phrase it? 

"What is it?"

"You know, that thing I wrote... that you read..."

Ruby simply nods her head, urging her on. 

Weiss has never requested anything during their lessons. She has always accepted whatever Ruby had in store for her, despite how many times they argued - amidst loving words and tender embraces - about it. She would sometimes whine about her teacher's ways, or turn excessively defensive when missing a note. 

But never has she ever made a request. 

Until now. 

"Would you... perhaps, consider helping me sing it?"

And Ruby beams at her. 

The lyrics may be painful, but not only does Ruby accept it - she agrees to help her, to sit by her side and work with her as they try to make the best out of this story Weiss wants to tell. 

_I'll make it so that you never have to feel lonely again._

Clutching her purse, Weiss takes a few more breath before finally fumbling through it to retrieve the sheet. 

"Here it is."

Ruby glances at it, blissfully ignorant when her gaze immediately takes notice of the ink that definitely was not there the first time she read it. 

"Did you-"

But the words her eyes see are more important than the ones in her mind. 

' _Some believe in fairy stories and the ghosts that they can't see_

_I know that I could do so much if I could just believe in me_

_Mirror, mirror, I'll tell you something_

_I think I might change it all'_

Her gaze once reaching the bottom of the paper, Ruby immediately reads it once again, or twice, perhaps five times, just to make sure. 

Only then does she look up, staring quizzically at the heiress who can only manage a clumsy smile. 

"You don't have to worry about me being lonely."

It is the only explanation she gives, and the only one Ruby needs. 

It is only a wish. A wish for her to never feel that way again. A promise to be there, for each other, together, to sweep away any darkness the future holds for them. And while it is a promise neither of them can be sure of keeping, she appreciates the feeling. She doesn't reject it, doesn't fear it - but grabs it tightly, claims it hers. 

She could sputter lies with a smile, hold her girlfriend only away from the prying eyes, conceal their relationships behind euphemisms - but she would never dare to be dishonest with herself again. 

Neither with herself nor with Ruby. 

Not in this room. 

In the privacy of this room, her feelings have bloomed, her laugh has echoed, kisses were shared, loving words were sung. 

And in this room, she will write about it. She will tell her story, in a melody. 

And they will hold hand through it all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The end! c:  
> I'm sorry this took so long to finish. It turns out that I'm not really good at writing fluff, but I still hope that you enjoyed it.  
> Thank you so much for reading!


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